Abstract
The co-occurrence of chronic pain and sleep disturbance contribute to a significant functional and social impact in older adults. However, there are no validated instruments to measure sleep disturbance and pain in this population that could be used to screen or diagnose individuals or monitor treatment effectiveness. Our aim was to develop and validate a brief, practical, and comprehensive tool to assess the impact of co-occurring pain and sleep disturbance in older adults. Development and validation of a measurement tool for assessing pain and sleep in older adults consisting of seven items. We applied the "Sleep Assessment Instrument for Pain in older adults" (SAIOAP) in a sample of 100 older individuals. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.602 indicated a moderate level of reliability, and item-total correlations of ≥0.4 for all items indicated good homogeneity. There were statistically significant correlations between the SAIOAP and sleep quality (PSQI, r=61.5), pain intensity (VNS, r=30.5), the multidimensional impacts of pain (GPM, r=40.5), depression (GEAP, r=45.5), comorbidity (r=27.9), and medication use (r=30.4). A ROC curve indicated a sensitivity of 73.2% and a specificity of 79.1% in relation to the prediction of sleep disturbances associated with pain in older adults. The SAIOAP presented adequate metric properties and was demonstrated to be a simple and practical tool for the assessment of the impact of pain on sleep in older adults.
Highlights
Sleep disorders and chronic pain are two major health issues with high incidence in older adults[1,2,3]
The development and validation of the instrument to assess the impact of pain on sleep in older adults involved three steps, following a model previously described by Kline[28]: (1) the establishment of the theoretical background/ literature review, (2) a qualitative study involving the development of the tool items and the establishment of face validity, and (3) a quantitative study that involved testing the instrument with older adults with chronic pain as part of the validation process
Using the process suggested by Kline (1995) for the development of an instrument[28], we followed three steps as outlined. i) We gathered theoretical evidence through a careful thematic bibliographic review, which served to clarify the nature and range of the content related to the target construct, namely, an instrument to assess pain and sleep disorders in older adults. ii) We elaborated the tool items, taking into consideration the terms and language known to the geriatric population
Summary
Sleep disorders and chronic pain are two major health issues with high incidence in older adults[1,2,3]. The co-occurrence of chronic pain and sleep disturbance contribute to a significant functional and social impact in older adults. There are no validated instruments to measure sleep disturbance and pain in this population that could be used to screen or diagnose individuals or monitor treatment effectiveness. Objective: Our aim was to develop and validate a brief, practical, and comprehensive tool to assess the impact of co-occurring pain and sleep disturbance in older adults. Methods: Development and validation of a measurement tool for assessing pain and sleep in older adults consisting of seven items. Conclusions: The SAIOAP presented adequate metric properties and was demonstrated to be a simple and practical tool for the assessment of the impact of pain on sleep in older adults
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