Exploring Accelerometer Versus Self-Report Sleep Assessment in Youth With Concussion

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sleep Medicine
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Sleep disturbance is common in youth with postconcussive injury.
• Objective (accelerometry) and subjective (self-report) measures are used to assess sleep.
• The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a common self-report tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare accelerometer-based and self-report assessments of sleep disturbance in youth with postconcussive injury.
• To examine the correlation between PSQI scores and accelerometry data.
• To evaluate the validity of these measures in this population.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 21 youth (5-18 years) with postconcussive injury.
• Sleep assessed using accelerometry and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) every 48 hours.
• Correlation analysis between PSQI scores and accelerometer-derived sleep parameters.

Main Results:

• PSQI scores significantly correlated only with the average number of awakenings (r = -0.21, P = .049).
• Mean accelerometer-measured sleep efficiency was 79.9% (normal >85%).
• Mean PSQI global score was 10.5 (normal <5 indicates insomnia).

Conclusions:

• Accelerometer and PSQI measures may capture different aspects of sleep disturbance.
• Both objective sleep data and subjective perception of sleep quality are important.
• Further validity testing of objective sleep measures and self-report tools is warranted.