Validation and cutoff score for the single-item sleep quality scale.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Research
• Health Sciences

Background:

• The Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) is a widely used single-item measure for assessing sleep quality in various settings.
• Validation of the SQS and establishment of a reliable cutoff score are crucial for its effective clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the single-item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS).
• To establish a specific cutoff score for the SQS to differentiate between good and poor sleepers.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted with 747 physicians and nurses in Oman to validate the SQS.
• Study 1 examined correlations between SQS, WHO Wellbeing Index, Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12.
• Study 2 determined an optimal SQS cutoff score using the Insomnia Severity Index as a reference.

Main Results:

• The SQS demonstrated significant positive correlations with wellbeing and negative correlations with anxiety and uncertainty.
• A cutoff score of ≤6 on the SQS was identified with high sensitivity (87.50%) and good specificity (74.10%) for identifying poor sleep.
• The area under the ROC curve was 0.881, indicating strong diagnostic accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The single-item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) is a valid and reliable measure for assessing sleep quality.
• The proposed cutoff score of ≤6 facilitates easy classification of individuals into good and poor sleepers.
• The SQS serves as an acceptable alternative to longer sleep assessment scales in clinical practice.