Validation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Polish Language Version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC).

Background/

Objectives

In this study, we aimed to validate and psychometrically evaluate a tool for examining sleep disorders in Polish children.

Methods

This study involved a randomly selected sample of 348 children aged 6 to 15 years, sourced from preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools in a city with a population exceeding 100,000, in addition to two smaller towns in Poland. Parents were asked to complete the Sleep Disorders Scale for Children (SDSC) in conjunction with a sociodemographic survey. The tool's reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (α), and correlations among various domains were evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (Rs).

Results

The study demonstrated excellent internal consistency for the SDSC, with a Cronbach's α value of 0.9. The individual subscales also exhibited acceptable reliability values, ranging from 0.69 to 0.83. Considering T-scores over 70 as indicative of a problem, we identified at least one sleep disorder in 65 participants (18.68%). The most common issues included sleep hyperhidrosis (SHY; 7.47%), disorders of excessive somnolence (DOES; 7.18%), and sleep-wake transition disorders (SWTDs; 5.75%). Students in secondary education were more likely to experience disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS), disorders of arousal (DA), and DOES.

Conclusions

Based on our findings, the Polish version of the SDSC may be considered a reliable and effective tool for assessing sleep disturbances in school-age children and adolescents.