0182 The Sleep Regularity Questionnaire: Development and Preliminary Psychometric Properties

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sleep is a critically important behavior which influences diverse aspects of health, functioning, and longevity. An increasing literature suggests the importance of sleep regularity, also referred to as sleep inconsistency, sleep variability, or intraindividual variability in sleep. Given there is no brief, subjective measure of sleep regularity, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of an in-development, ten-item Sleep Regularity Questionnaire (SRQ). Methods In an online study of sleep and health, participants (n = 3284; Mage (SD)= 42.74(16.72); 47.8% female; 77.1% white) completed the in-development SRQ, as well as other sleep-related measures including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results An exploratory factor analysis on a random half of the sample revealed a two factor structure, with four items representing “circadian regularity” and two items representing “sleep disturbance regularity.” A confirmatory factor analysis on the other random half of the sample fit the two factor model with good model fit indices (X2 = 50.9, df = 7, p < .001; RMSEA = .06; CFI= .99; NFI = .99; IFI = .99; TLI = .98). The SRQ was negatively associated with poor sleep quality measured via the PSQI (r = -.37, p < .001) and negatively associated with insomnia severity measured via the ISI (r = -.40, p < .001). Conclusion The SRQ appears to be a valid instrument for the assessment of sleep regularity in adults that is related to, but distinct from, other established sleep constructs. Future research will benefit from examining test-retest reliability of the measure as well as assessing the validity of the SRQ as a measure of objective sleep regularity by comparing it to conventional diary, actigraphy, and/or polysomnography methods of sleep assessment. Support This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23AG049955 (PI: Dzierzewski). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.