197 Refining the Subjective Assessment of Sleep: An SEM Approach

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Given that sleep is multidimensional, the assessment of sleep requires an examination of a number of different domains. Accordingly, there is an abundance of self-report sleep questionnaires that are widely used for both research and clinical use. The surplus of available measures can be problematic, as it often leads to difficulties in selecting the best measure for a given purpose/context. In addition, the use of multiple measures to assess sleep may be an inefficient use of time and resources if they are not measuring unique constructs. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the factor structure of five sleep measures. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was initially used to evaluate whether each of these scales are measuring different factors of sleep, with follow-up exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as needed. Methods An archival analysis was performed using data from an online study, Investigating Sleep Across Normal Development (ISLAND Study). The sample consisted of 3,284 adults aged 18+. The following measures were utilized: RU SATED, PROMIS Sleep-Related Impairment, Sleep Self-Efficacy, Insomnia Severity Index, and the Sleep Regularity Questionnaire. Results As expected, the CFA model fit was determined to be poor and an EFA was then conducted to assess the factor structure of these scales. The EFA revealed a four-factor structure comprised of 25 items: Sleep-Related Daytime Impairment, Sleep Regularity, Sleep Disturbance, and Sleep-Related Daytime Enhancement. Conclusion The findings from the current study add to the literature supporting the multidimensionality of sleep, as well as the continued need to assess the various facets that comprise this construct. Although the literature supports the utility of these five measures, the present study found that within a community sample, these measures are not entirely unique. Further, the present study extends our knowledge and the literature by revealing a novel factor of sleep – Sleep-Related Daytime Enhancement. It may be worthwhile for researchers and clinicians to consider latent sleep factors that contribute to sleep disturbance and sleep health. Future work is needed to further confirm the observed factor structure and assess the psychometrics of this new scale. Support (if any) National Institute on Aging (K23AG049955, PI: Dzierzewski).