Comparison of two self-reported tools for assessment of sleep quality

An easy to administer tool is needed for clinical assessment of sleep quality by healthcare providers. This study compared two brief, validated sleep questionnaires in order to identify an appropriate tool for clinical assessment.

Women (N = 121) between the ages of 25-89 years (60.3 ± 15.9 years) completed the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire, and associated measures of quality of life, well-being, stress, and physical activity.

There were no differences in sleep quality assessments between the two questionnaires for sleep last night (daily), during the past 7 days (weekly), or during the past 4 weeks (monthly). Overall, participants reported good daily, weekly, and monthly sleep quality (mean scores 71.1-75.3 out of 100), although both questionnaires assessed significantly better (p ≤ 0.002) daily sleep quality compared to weekly and monthly. There were no floor effects for either questionnaire, but ceiling effects were noted for the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire daily and weekly versions. When participants were grouped by sleep quality, very good sleepers reported better quality of life (p˂ 0.05) and well-being (p˂ 0.001), and less stress (p˂ 0.05) compared to poor sleepers for all versions of the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire and for the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire daily and weekly versions.

For overall identification and assessment of good versus poor sleep quality, clinicians can choose either the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire or the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire. However, caution may be needed for short-term (daily, weekly) assessment for which the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire may be more appropriate due to fewer ceiling effects.