Preferences for behavioral therapies for chronic insomnia

License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the acceptability and preference for the two behavioral therapies, and to identify fac-tors persons with chronic insomnia take into ac-count when choosing treatment. Methods: The data were obtained in a large trial evaluating the effects of Stimulus Control and Sleep Restric-tion therapies. Prior to treatment, participants completed the treatment acceptability and pref-erence (TAP) questionnaire, which described the Stimulus Control Therapy and the Sleep Restric-tion Therapy and requested participants to rate the acceptability of each treatment option before choosing one for the management of chronic insomnia. Open-ended questions were used to explore the factors that participants considered when making a choice. Results: Participants ra-ted the Sleep Restriction Therapy as acceptable and 70.2 % of participants preferred it over Sti-mulus Control Therapy. The factors that influ-enced participants ’ choice related to the famili-arity, previous personal experience, novelty, and suitability of the treatment. Conclusion: Persons have expressed a preference for treatments to manage chronic insomnia. Healthcare providers are in a position to provide relevant information about treatment options in order to help persons make informed treatment related decisions