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The Tayside children's sleep questionnaire: a simple tool to evaluate sleep problems in young children
J A McGreavey1, P T Donnan, H C Pagliari
1Monifieth Health Centre, Monifieth, Dundee, UK. jacqui.mcgreavey@tpct.scot.nhs.uk
Insights
A new questionnaire, the Tayside Children's Sleep Questionnaire (TCSQ), effectively screens for behavioral sleep problems in young children. This reliable tool aids in research and primary care settings for identifying disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Assessment Tools
Background:
- Behavioral sleep problems affect 20-40% of children aged 1-5 years.
- These issues include disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS).
- A need exists for a simple screening tool for research and primary care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a simple questionnaire to assess DIMS in children aged 1-5 years.
- The tool is intended for research selection and primary care screening.
- To create the Tayside Children's Sleep Questionnaire (TCSQ).
Main Methods:
- Adapted and piloted a subsection of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (n=81).
- Assessed face, content, and discriminant validity through expert review and mother interviews.
- Validated cut-off scores via blinded case note reviews and calculated inter-rater reliability.
- Administered the modified questionnaire to a representative sample (n=1023) and assessed internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) and factor analysis.
Main Results:
- A response rate of 61.5% (n=628) was achieved for the population questionnaire.
- 35% (n=218) of children scored indicative of DIMS, aligning with literature.
- The questionnaire demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85).
- Two main factors accounted for 58% of the variance.
Conclusions:
- The Tayside Children's Sleep Questionnaire (TCSQ) is a user-friendly and reliable instrument.
- It can be utilized in clinical and research settings.
- The TCSQ effectively assesses the severity and prevalence of DIMS in young children.
Background:
Behavioural sleep problems in young children are relatively common with between 20% and 40% of those aged 1 to 5 years being affected. This paper describes the development of a simple questionnaire to assess disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) in children aged between 1 and 5 years for use as a selection tool for research purposes or as a screening instrument in primary care.
Methods:
A subsection of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children was adapted and piloted with a small sample of children in two inner city GP practices (n = 81). Face and content validity were initially established by expert review. Discriminant validity was assessed qualitatively using interviews with mothers of identified cases and non-cases. The validity of the cut-off score was assessed by blinded case note reviews off known cases; inter-rater reliability was also calculated. Following modifications, the final questionnaire was posted to a representative sample of parents across the region with children in the appropriate age band (n = 1023). Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and factor analysis was undertaken to identify significant factors within the questionnaire.
Results:
The response rate to the population questionnaire was 61.5% (n = 628) with 218 of the children having sleep scores that were indicative of DIMS (35%), echoing other figures reported in the literature. There was good internal consistency for the items (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85) with two main factors accounting for 58% of the variance.
Conclusion:
The Tayside Children's Sleep Questionnaire (TCSQ) is an easy-to-read and reliable tool that could be used both as a clinical and research instrument to assess the severity and prevalence of DIMS in young children.
