Reliability and validity of Turkish Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Turkish validity and reliability of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Methods: The research was conducted in methodological type. Data were collected from parents of students in two schools in Ankara between May 29th and June 12th 2019. Five hundred and thirty-two (79.1% mothers; mean age, 38.1) parents were included in the study. In order to collect data, form consisting of descriptive questions, SDSC and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used. Results: It was found that 56.6% of the children of the participants were girls and had an average age of 10.25 +/- 1.95 years. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.81. The correlation coefficient between test and retest was 0.87 (p<0.01). In the factor analysis, it was determined that the scale consisted of 6 factors. The correlation between SDQ total and subdimension scores and SDSC total score provided evidence for construct validity. SDSC total and subsca/e mean scores were higher in children who were considered abnormal compared to SDQ. Discussion: The SDSC, which is a scale based on parental notification, was found to be a valid and reliable scale that could screen sleep disturbance in school-age Turkish children.