Psychometric Properties of the Persian Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for Adolescents

Both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies show that poor sleep is a health concern related to further psychological and physiological issues during adolescence. To assess subjective sleep quality and sleep patterns among adults, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a well and internationally established tool. Here, we established the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the PSQI for adolescents.

A total of 1477 adolescents (mean age: 15.47 years; 53.2% females) took part in the study. They completed a booklet on sociodemographic information, the Persian version of the PSQI for adolescents, and the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale (ASHS). We relied on classical test reliability approaches of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

Classical exploratory factor analysis yielded the seven-factor solution, with concurrent confirmation and overlap with the dimensions of the ASHS, although correlation coefficients were small to medium. A further factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution, explaining 72% of the variance of the PSQI. Further, three out of these four factors predicted the ASHS overall score.

The Persian version of the PSQI for adolescents showed satisfactory psychometric properties. It follows that the Persian PSQI is a suitable tool to assess sleep quality and sleep patterns among adolescents.