Saudi Clinical Psychologists’ Competence in Sleep Disorders Management: A Comprehensive Perspective

Sleep disorders comprise a range of medical conditions that interfere with regular sleep patterns. Despite the fact that clinical psychologists have the capacity to play a critical role in the assessment and treatment of sleep-related disorders, generally this population of professionals tend to have limited training in such conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness, knowledge, and practice of sleep disorders among Saudi psychologists. A total of 92 Saudi psychologists participated in a cross-sectional online survey that consisted of 3 parts: (a) a section to obtain demographic data on the respondents, (b) items to assess respondents’ knowledge of sleep disorders, and (c) items to evaluate respondents’ perceptions of their own ability to treat various sleep disorders. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (Version 26). Males represented 52.17% of the participants and females represented 47.83%. The majority of participants (76.09%) reported they scan for sleep disorders during the initial diagnostic stage. One-third of participants reported that they skip formulating a treatment plan for sleep disturbances, and 30.43% of participants indicated they have no idea how to diagnose insomnia using the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5 ). Regarding the ability to diagnose and deal with sleep disorders, 44% of participants reported they perceive themselves as being some level of prepared. The responses of the majority of the psychologists indicated they perceive themselves as unprepared to deal with circadian rhythm disorders, narcolepsy, and parasomnia. Less-experienced psychologists showed greater knowledge of sleep disorders compared to more-experienced psychologists. The overall finding is that there is a lack of knowledge regarding sleep disturbances among Saudi psychologists. Future study is needed to provide psychologists with comprehensive training in evidence-based management guidelines for sleep disorders. The findings of this study emphasize the necessity for heightened pre- and in-service educational programs geared toward enhancing the proficiency of Saudi clinical psychologists in the application of evidence-based therapeutic approaches for sleep disorders.