Abstract
Many studies have sought to describe the relationship between sleep disturbance and cognition in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and its variants (the Parkinson’s disease Sleep Scale-Revised; PDSS-R, and the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2; PDSS-2) quantify a range of symptoms impacting sleep in only 15 items. However, data from these scales may be problematic as included items have considerable conceptual breadth, and there may be overlap in the constructs assessed. Multidimensional measurement models, accounting for the tendency for items to measure multiple constructs, may be useful more accurately to model variance than traditional confirmatory factor analysis. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a multidimensional model (a bifactor model) is more appropriate than traditional factor analysis for data generated by these types of scales, using data collected using the PDSS-R as an exemplar. 166 participants diagnosed with idiopathic PD participated in this study. Using PDSS-R data, we compared three models: a unidimensional model; a 3-factor model consisting of sub-factors measuring insomnia, motor symptoms and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) symptoms; and, a confirmatory bifactor model with both a general factor and the same three sub-factors. Only the confirmatory bifactor model achieved satisfactory model fit, suggesting that PDSS-R data are multidimensional. There were differential associations between factor scores and patient characteristics, suggesting that some PDSS-R items, but not others, are influenced by mood and personality in addition to sleep symptoms. Multidimensional measurement models may also be a helpful tool in the PDSS and the PDSS-2 scales and may improve the sensitivity of these instruments.
Highlights
A number of factors act to disrupt sleep in Parkinson’s disease (PD), including primary sleep disorder, such as insomnia or REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and sleep disturbance secondary to the symptoms of PD
We identified the theoretical constructs assessed by the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS)-R: 1. Insomnia; 2
It may be helpful to covary for affective symptoms and neuroticism in analysis; ii) Each item loading significantly onto a factor, contributes unequal amounts of variance to this score
Summary
A number of factors act to disrupt sleep in Parkinson’s disease (PD), including primary sleep disorder, such as insomnia or REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and sleep disturbance secondary to the symptoms of PD (e.g. dystonia, rigidity or medication effects). As the PDSS scales are ubiquitous, used widely both in clinical practice and medication trials, it is critical that we understand the degree to which these scales measure sleep and the ways in which they are vulnerable to systematic bias To examine these issues, we first need a robust factor model. Variables such as disease duration, severity, medication, sex, age, personality and mood may be important sources of construct relevant multidimensionality in PDSS items. These scales, have not yet been examined within a multidimensional measurement framework. Between factor scores from the best fitting model and sample parameters (age, sex, disease duration, severity, medication, neuroticism, and mood) were examined
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