Sleep Experience Research Articles

The Relationship of Sleep Duration, Excersise Habits, Physical Activity and Eating Frequency to Nutritional Status of Students of SMAN 22 Surabaya During The Pandemic Covid-19

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic that has spread throughout the country has caused changes in behavior patterns due to social restrictions. This has resulted in activities outside the home and in open spaces being limited and even abolished and replaced with online activities (in the network). Students who usually take part in teaching and learning activities and do sports and extracurricular activities that they like at school turn into online activities at home. Teenagers cannot socialize with their friends and their space becomes limited during the Covid-19 pandemic so they tend to play social media and get a lot of sleep disorders and experience depression. In addition to changing activities, adolescents' eating patterns and sleep duration also change due to changes in daily routines. This condition affects the nutritional status of adolescents.Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the relationship between sleep duration, exercise habits, physical activity and eating frequency with the nutritional status of the students of SMAN 22 Surabaya.Method: This research is an analytical observational study conducted at SMA Negeri 22 Surabaya with 170 respondents aged 15-17 years. The measurements taken included the respondent's nutritional status, anthropometry, sleep duration, exercise habits, physical activity and adolescent eating frequency during the pandemic. Statistical analysis used to test the hypothesis of this study using the chi-square test.Result: The nutritional status of non-obese as many as 94 students, and nutritional status of obesity as many as 76 students. Respondents with short sleep duration were 53 students, adequate sleep duration was 105 students, and long sleep duration was 12. Respondents with regular exercise habits were 45 students, and non-routine exercise habits were 125 students. Respondents with light physical activity were 75 students, moderate physical activity was 49 students, and high physical activity was 45 students. Respondents with low eating frequency were 113 students, 37 students had moderate eating frequency and 20 students had high meal frequency.Conclution: nutritional status is related to sleep duration, exercise habits, and eating frequency during the pandemic.

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) of Montelukast in Children.

To obtain more insight into the safety profile of montelukast for children with asthma, allergic rhinitis and sleep-related breathing disorders. We retrospectively studied all adverse drug reactions to montelukast among 385 children 6 months or older in six tertiary centers over a two-year period. A total of 89.6% were asthmatic, 50% had allergic rhinitis and 13.6% had sleep-related breathing disorders; Singulair was the most common type of montelukast used (67.9%). This study reported a high prevalence of adverse drug reactions among 123 patients (31.9%), predominantly in those aged 4-9 years (52.8%), followed by adolescents (24.4%) and toddlers (22.8%). Two (ADRs) were reported in 9.8% of the children, while three or more were reported in 5.5%. Sleep disturbance was the most common (ADRs), affecting 15.1% of participants (overlap was common; 5.5% of children experienced sleep difficulties, 4.4% experienced sleep interruption and decreased sleep, and 1.82% experienced nightmares), followed by agitation (10.4%), pain (9.4%) and hyperactivity (6.8%). No serious (ADRs) were reported. Eleven percent of families faced difficulties in purchasing montelukast, and only 57% of families had insurance. Misconceptions were common (9.8% reported it to be a steroid, while 30.6% believed it to be a bronchodilator). Although 81% of the families believed it was an effective and preventive medication, 5.3% stopped the drug due to concern about side effects, especially agitation (3%) and nightmares (0.6%). These data demonstrate that montelukast is effective, but the associated adverse neuropsychiatric drug reactions are more prevalent than those reported in the literature. In particular, sleep disturbance, agitation, pain and hyperactivity were observed. Pediatricians should be aware of such (ADRs). Misconceptions about montelukast are still common, and parental counseling and urgent epidemiological studies are needed to quantify the risk for management plans.

Parents’ Experiences of Having a Child with Down Syndrome and Sleep Difficulties

ABSTRACT Objectives Sleep disorders are prevalent in children with Down Syndrome (DS). However, sleep treatment is not always readily accessed by this group. This study aims to understand families’ experiences of having a child with DS and sleep difficulties, and in particular, their healthcare experiences, with the goal of informing practice improvements. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 34 parents (fathers n = 4 and mothers n = 30) with open-ended questions about parents’ experiences of sleep, family dynamics, and healthcare. We operationalized a reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results Parents normalized their experiences of having a child with DS and sleep problems. Parents acknowledged that sleep disruption has adverse and pervasive impacts on their wellbeing and family dynamics, but also found this difficult to identify as a health problem. They accepted sleep difficulties as a regular part of bringing up any child, particularly one with a disability. When they did seek treatment for their child’s sleep difficulties, parents often reported encountering insensitive and inadequate care and described that, at times, healthcare professionals also normalized children’s sleep difficulties, resulting in sub-optimal treatment. This included at times failure to refer to tertiary sleep medicine services when required. Conclusions Parents’ and healthcare professionals’ normalization of sleeping difficulties denies that they are both deleterious and modifiable. Practice implications include raising healthcare professionals’ awareness of the importance of proactively addressing sleep, with sensitivity to families’ normalization strategies, recognizing that families may require prompting to report concerns.

P065 Sleep Perceptions of Carers in Palliative Care: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Introduction Carers of individuals receiving palliative care have heightened responsibilities as part of their role which significantly affects their sleep. Despite the recognised importance of sleep, and the evidence regarding the impact of disturbed sleep on one’s physical and psychological wellbeing, sleep of carers is often overlooked. Furthermore, research regarding the lived experience of carers regarding their sleep is limited. This study aimed to explore carers’ sleep experiences, perceived factors related to sleep, and sleep management strategies that they adopt, in order to inform tailored assessment and sleep interventions for carers of individuals receiving palliative care. Methods Nine carers providing home palliative care were interviewed regarding their sleep experiences. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results Five key themes were identified: (1) Sleep experiences are complex; (2) Sleep is not the priority; (3) Contributing factors of sleep vary; (4) Multiple sleep management strategies exist; and, (5) Need for carer preparedness and ongoing support; under one overarching theme being “sleep is individual for every carer”. Discussion Sleep is an individualised and complex experience that is perceived differently by carers. To improve carers’ self-appraisal in sleep quality, consideration of personal beliefs and attitudes should be accounted for to aid addressing factors that contribute to carers’ sleep disturbances. Further, carer-specific resources are crucial to improving quality and accessibility of support services (i.e. respite care).

P039 A novel mean disease alleviation outcome measure in the management of adult obstructive sleep apnoea

Abstract Introduction Current methods assessing device and surgical treatment efficacy for OSA, such as apnoea hypopnea index (AHI), do not factor in compliance. Clinical effectiveness may be better represented when long-term compliance is incorporated into a mean disease alleviation score (MDA). Here, MDA scores between surgery and device are compared in a high-volume adult OSA clinic. Methods Three hundred and forty-five patients seen over a 13-year period in a high-volume adult OSA clinic staffed by an experienced sleep-trained otolaryngologist and sleep physician were included. Patients were managed with device (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS) or underwent multilevel airway surgery. Mean disease alleviation was calculated as the product of therapeutic efficacy (change in AHI) and adjusted compliance. Surgical compliance was assumed as one hundred percent. Cardinality matching was utilised to account for differences in patient and disease factors between subgroups. Results Surgically treated patients demonstrated higher MDA than device users (67.3 ± 29.9% vs. 59.4 ± 31.1%, p=0.039), despite higher therapeutic efficacy seen in device users (85.0±24.4% vs. 67.0±29.9%, p<0.001). Surgical patients were younger, had lower comorbidity scores, lower BMI, and suffered worse daytime sleepiness than device users. Cardinality matching for these factors demonstrated similar mean MDA between groups (66% vs 58%, p=0.11). Device users had to utilise >8hrs per night of compliant use to reach a similar MDA to matched surgical patients. Discussion In Adult OSA patients with less-than-ideal CPAP compliance, multilevel airway surgery is an equivalent and effective alternative, based on novel MDA measures.

P012 The content and impact of dreams during late pregnancy – a qualitative exploration

Abstract Background While dreams are part of healthy sleep there remains controversy about their interpretation - whether intertwined with waking life or as structurally distinct. During pregnancy, dreaming has been correlated with emotional state and is often more frequent, vivid and disturbing, but there is little qualitative exploration of the content and impacts of pregnancy dreams. Objective The aim of this study was to explore dreaming experiences during late pregnancy. Methods Ten pregnant people (32-39 weeks gestation) with no diagnosis of a sleep disorder were recruited for a qualitative study describing experiences of sleep in late pregnancy, including exploration of their dreams. Following informed consent, semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face or via videoconference. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Analysis of dreaming data is presented. Results Participants were of New Zealand European (8) and European (2) background. Several experienced more frequent, often intense and impacting dreams, which included more sexual dreams, dreams perceived to be preparing for the future (for birth, baby and parenthood) and dreams associated with anxiety (about birth or losing the baby). These dreams were often disturbing and sometimes led to ongoing stressful thoughts the next day. Conclusion Dreams during late pregnancy tend to be more frequent and graphic, and may represent underlying anxieties or impact on emotional wellbeing. Whilst for some, intense dreams may be seen as a normal part of pregnancy, for others dreams in pregnancy can be disturbing and warrant discussion and exploration with health professionals to potentially resolve anxieties around pregnancy and birth.

Night eating syndrome, pola tidur, dan kebiasaan konsumsi sugar-sweetened beverage berdasarkan tipe metabolik pada mahasiswa obese

Obesity prevalence in students is increasing and can lead to metabolic syndrome at a young age. The habit of harmful sleeping patterns, night eating syndrome, and excessive sugar-sweetened-beverage consumption can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome in obese students. This research aimed to analyze the differences between night eating syndrome, sleeping patterns, and consumption habits of sugar-sweetened beverages based on metabolic types in obese students. This research used a case-control design in Semarang in 2020, with 52 subjects aged 19-24 selected by consecutive sampling. The data included body weight using digital scales, height using microtoise, waist size using Medline, blood pressure using tensimeters, and laboratory tests to check triglyceride levels, HDL cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and insulin. The instruments used were The Night Eating Questioner to assess the night eating syndrome, Pittsburg Sleep Quality to assess sleeping patterns, and the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to see the subject’s sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. The Chi-Square test analyzed the data. There was a difference between night eating syndrome (p=0,006) and sleeping pattern (p=0,012) in Metabolically Healthy Obesity (MHO) and Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity (MUO). There was no significant difference between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in the two subject groups (p=0,714). In the MUO group, more people experienced poor sleep patterns and night-eating syndrome. Meanwhile, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in the MHO and MUO groups was still considered normal.

Quality of working life of medical doctors and associated risk factors: a cross-sectional survey in public hospitals in China

ObjectivesTo assess the quality of working life (QWL) of medical doctors and associated risk factors.Setting and participantsA cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 2915 medical doctors from 48 hospitals was conducted in...

Development of a self-report measure to assess sleep satisfaction: Protocol for the Suffolk Sleep Index (SuSI).

Good sleep is essential for health but there is no consensus on how to define and measure people's understanding of good sleep. To date, people's perceptions of a good night's sleep have been, almost exclusively, conceptualized under the lens of sleep quality, which refers to objective characteristics of good sleep, such as such as ease and time needed to fall asleep, hours of sleep, and physical symptoms during sleep and upon awakening. A related, yet different construct, sleep satisfaction, refers to perceived positive affect about one's sleep experience and has, to date, received little attention. This research focuses on sleep satisfaction, rather than sleep quality, and aims to develop a self-report measure to assess sleep satisfaction in an English adult population. As the measure will be developed in Suffolk, England, and its primary intended users are Suffolk community members, it is labelled the Suffolk Sleep Index (SuSI). The SuSI will draw from principles of community-based participatory research, following a seven-phase developmental process comprising literature review, interviews with Suffolk community members, synthesis of literature review and interview findings, pre-testing, pilot-testing, scale evaluation, and refinement. The present research will also investigate indices related to sleep satisfaction, including the community's general health status, lifestyle factors and socio-economic status. The research will add to the limited, yet emerging body of research on perceived sleep satisfaction and its measurement. To our knowledge, a valid and reliable sleep satisfaction self-report measure has not been developed in the United Kingdom previously.

Evaluation of Health Promoting Lifestyle Habits During Pandemic Period: A cross-sectional study

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed lifestyle changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health-promoting lifestyle habits of individuals who applied to a primary care center during the pandemic period.
 Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with the voluntary participation of 524 individuals. The data was collected through a research questionnaire form and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Scale (HPLS). 
 Results: Women accounted for 58.2% (n=305) of all participants, 45.2% of them (n=237) had chronic disease and 32.1% (n=168) were smoking. Mean age was 41.26±14.28 (min:18, max:75) years old. Among these participants, %53.2 had equal income to their expenses (n=279), 52.3% experienced sleep pattern changes (n=274), 35.7% had COVID-19 disease and 66.6% vaccinated for COVID-19. The mean HPLS score was 162.75±8.10 points. Interpersonal relationships, stress management and total HPLS scores were higher in women (p

The effects of temperature on sleep experience: evidence from China

ABSTRACT A large body of literature estimates the high-temperature effects on a variety of economic and health outcomes. This paper provides convergent evidence of a possible working mechanism behind those effects. That is, upon examining nationally representative self-report measures in China, we studied the relationship between temperature and people’s sleep experience, an essential input for productivity and health outcomes. By analysing county-level daily temperature data and the CFPS self-reported sleep experience data, our findings indicate that high temperature can increase the probability of reporting poor sleep experiences in China. Additionally, elderly, lower educated, and rural residents may be more vulnerable to the damage of heatwaves. Our results imply that high temperature can adversely and significantly impact people’s sleep experience, though its effect can be partially offset by installing air conditioners.

Assessing Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Comparison of Three Measurement Approaches.

Discrepancies between subjective and objective sleep measures have been reported for some time; however, it is critical to consider the implications of inaccurate or incomplete sleep assessment for frail older adults who are struggling to maintain independence. To compare sleep assessment methods, we collected objective sleep measurements, subjective measures via self-report sleep surveys, and qualitative data through semi-structured audio-recorded interviews, from five older adults who self-reported sleep problems while living in a retirement community in the southwestern US. Participants' objective sleep and qualitative narratives were congruent, but self-report measures failed to capture several unique sleep problems identified in the sample. A sleep assessment tool specifically designed to measure older people's sleep experiences could provide more accurate and sensitive data.

Mental health and driving behaviour of students and alumni of a university in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study.

The United Arab Emirates has set the goal to reduce traffic-related deaths to 3 per 100 000 people by 2021. To do this, authorities must assess the factors related to risky driving behaviour. To verify if there are any correlations between driving behaviour and certain variables, including years of driving experience, daily hours of sleep, general markers of mental health, and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Two hundred and seventy-five participants responded to a survey made up of the Manchester driver behaviour questionnaire, the general health questionnaire, the adult ADHD self-report scale, and 2 additional questions. Spearman's coefficient was calculated for correlations between these variables, at statistical significance level P < 0.05. Years of driving experience and hours of sleep had no correlations with driving performance. Markers of general mental health had a weak correlation with risky driving behaviour, and symptoms of ADHD had moderate correlation with risky driving behaviour. Policymakers and public health officials should screen for ADHD during driver licensing examination.

“It was terrible, I didn’t sleep for two years”: A mixed methods exploration of sleep and its effects among family caregivers of in-home hospice patients at end-of-life

Background: Due to overnight caregiving demands; exacerbation of high rates of anxiety, depression, and distress; and inadequate support, millions of family caregivers of patients receiving in-home hospice are at risk of poor sleep and negative health effects. Aim: To describe sleep experiences of family caregivers of in-home hospice patients and perceptions of these experiences on caregivers’ wellbeing in the context of caregiver health and live-in status. Design: Developed using the Symptom Management Model, this mixed methods study featured a concurrent nested design prioritizing qualitative reflexive thematic analysis. Setting/participants: About 47 family caregivers of in-home hospice patients from two randomized clinical trials (NCT03712410, NCT02929108) were interviewed (United States, 2021). Anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), quality-of-life (QOL) (CQLI-R), and self-rated health and energy were reported prior to interviews. Results: Qualitative analysis revealed three themes: compromised sleep quality, factors influencing sleep, effects of sleep. 72.5% of hospice family caregivers described “fair” or “poor” sleep quality, with “interrupted” sleep and frequent night-waking due to “on-call” “vigilance” and anxiety. Negative effects included exhaustion, mental and physical health decline, and reduced caregiver function. Live-in caregivers reported higher mean depression scores (8.4 vs 4.3, p = 0.08), higher mean anxiety scores (7.7 vs 3.3, p = 0.06), and lower mean QOL scores (24.8 vs 33.6, p < 0.001) than live-out caregivers. Anxiety, depression, and QOL worsened as self-reported caregiver sleep quality decreased. Few caregivers had adequate support. Conclusion: End-of-life family caregivers experience disrupted sleep with negative effects and inadequate support. Clinicians must assess sleep, offer sleep interventions, and provide more supports to hospice family caregivers.

Pre-Sleep Cognitive Arousal Is Unrelated to Sleep Misperception in Healthy Sleepers When Unexpected Sounds Are Played during Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep: A Polysomnography Study.

Background: It is well-established that environmental noise can disrupt sleep, and cause a mismatch between subjective and objective sleep, which is known as “sleep misperception”. Naturalistic studies indicate that pre-sleep cognitive arousal and sleep misperception are associated in the context of noise. However, it is not known if this is the case when ecologically valid noises are specifically played during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which is susceptible to noise-related disruption. The present study evaluated if pre-sleep cognitive arousal was associated with sleep misperception in healthy normal sleepers, when unexpected ecologically valid common nocturnal noises were played during NREM sleep. Methods: Eighteen healthy sleepers (Mage = 23.37 years, SDage = 3.21 years) participated. Sleep was measured objectively on three consecutive nights using polysomnography, in a sleep laboratory environment, and subjectively, through participant estimates of total sleep time (TST). Night 1 was a baseline night where no noises were played. On Night 2, noises, which were chosen to be representative of habitual nocturnal noises heard in home environments, were played to participants via in-ear headphones after 5 min of objective sleep. Results: Unexpectedly, habitual pre-sleep cognitive arousal was not associated with subjective–objective TST discrepancy on Night 2. Conclusions: These results suggest that in healthy sleepers, when ecologically valid noises are played unexpectedly during NREM sleep in an unfamiliar sleep laboratory environment the subjective experience of sleep is not associated with pre-sleep cognitive arousal, or negatively impacted by noise exposure.

Labour, Self -Care and Respite: Neoliberal Rationalities in Sleep Crisis Rhetoric

This article tracks the emergence of sleep discourse in the past ten years in the USA, illustrating a democratisation of this rhetoric insofar as it has begun to interpellate populations beyond midlife women. Despite the sociological and demographic inequities associated with sleep deficits in marginalised populations, the much vaunted 'sleep crisis' is more widely appreciated as a distinct self-care frontier. Such behavioural scripts resonate with exaltations of the self as resilient entrepreneurial problem-solver and are linked to the broader positioning of self-care as salve for the injuries of neoliberalism. Beginning with sleep's ties to women's wellness and consumerist culture writ large, we apprehend sleep as an economy, one with staggering new commercial dimensions. Sleep remedies tend to be focused narrowly on the acquisition of products and technologies (sleep sprays, essential oils and melatonin gummies, blackout curtains, premium bedding, sleep apps, sound machines, adult sleep coaches), all of which come under consideration here. The investigation then turns to the heightened attention paid to the experience of sleep during COVID-19, discusses how sleep discourse articulates to and with a sense of ambivalent dispossession from work regimes and, finally, argues that the sleep crisis has been leveraged to intensify neoliberal brutalities.

Qualitative Findings for Supporting Newly Graduated Nurse and Teacher Sleep During Their First Year.

New graduate role transition for nurses and teachers is stressful. Poor adaptation may manifest as insomnia, which has implications for the new professionals, their employers, and the public served. This study examines factors that impact new graduate sleep, with the aim of identifying perceived helps and hindrances to sleep-during-transition. Targeted content analysis of transcripts from a larger longitudinal mixed methods study comparing new graduate sleep during their first year of practice. Study participants (N = 21) answered questions in the final interview regarding the most positive and negative impact(s) on sleep during the transition year. Transcripts were analyzed and compared based on the new graduate sleep typology (i.e., Got Better, Got Worse, Stayed Varied) which emerged from the parent study. Most participants, regardless of sleep type, identified a person/group as most positively impacting sleep. They identified work thoughts, stress/anxiety, people, work hours/sleep schedules, and environmental factors as negatively impacting sleep. Work thoughts and stress/anxiety were mentioned together and most frequently by participants in all three sleep types. This study provided insight into new graduate nurse and teacher sleep during transition. Support persons and/or groups may be essential regardless of sleep type. Thought management/stress mitigation strategies and good sleep hygiene may also improve the sleep experiences of these new professionals. Occupational health nurses can support sleep-during-transition among new nurses and teachers by acting as sleep advocates. They may also identify a need for medical intervention and/or sleep specialists and should promote fatigue risk mitigating policies.

Development of a novel intervention to improve sleep and pain in patients undergoing total knee replacement

BackgroundUp to 20% of patients experience long-term pain and dissatisfaction after total knee replacement, with a negative impact on their quality of life. New approaches are needed to reduce the proportion of people to go on to experience chronic post-surgical pain. Sleep and pain are bidirectionally linked with poor sleep linked to greater pain. Interventions to improve sleep among people undergoing knee replacement offer a promising avenue. Health beliefs and barriers to engagement were explored using behaviour change theory. This study followed stages 1–4 of the Medical Research Council’s guidance for complex intervention development to develop a novel intervention aimed at improving sleep in pre-operative knee replacement patients.MethodsPre-operative focus groups and post-operative telephone interviews were conducted with knee replacement patients. Before surgery, focus groups explored sleep experiences and views about existing sleep interventions (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, exercise, relaxation, mindfulness, sleep hygiene) and barriers to engagement. After surgery, telephone interviews explored any changes in sleep and views about intervention appropriateness. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, anonymised, and analysed using framework analysis.ResultsOverall, 23 patients took part, 17 patients attended pre-operative focus groups, seven took part in a post-operative telephone interview, and one took part in a focus group and interview. Key sleep issues identified were problems getting to sleep, frequent waking during the night, and problems getting back to sleep after night waking. The main reason for these issues was knee pain and discomfort and a busy mind. Participants felt that the sleep interventions were generally acceptable with no general preference for one intervention over the others. Views of delivery mode varied in relation to digital move and group or one-to-one approaches.ConclusionExisting sleep interventions were found to be acceptable to knee replacement patients. Key barriers to engagement related to participants’ health beliefs. Addressing beliefs about the relationship between sleep and pain and enhancing understanding of the bidirectional/cyclical relationship could benefit engagement and motivation. Individuals may also require support to break the fear and avoidance cycle of pain and coping. A future intervention should ensure that patients’ preferences for sleep interventions and delivery mode can be accommodated in a real-world context.

Italian Validation of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in a Population of Healthy Children: A Cross Sectional Study.

Background: Sleep disorders are one of the most discussed topics in scientific literature every year. Although they are one of the most studied topics, in both adults and children, knowledge of sleep disorders and their treatment is still not completely clear, and there is a need to deepen and analyze these disorders on a country-by-country basis. However, research in the Italian literature reveals a scarce quantity of tools to evaluate sleep quality in children. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is probably the most commonly used retrospective self-assessment questionnaire in the adult population. Purpose: We aimed to validate and analyze the psychometric characteristics of this tool in order to detect and explore the presence of sleep disorders in a healthy Italian population of children throughout the country. Methods: Individuals aged between 3 and 16 years without symptoms of insomnia were included in this study. The reliability and construct validity of the PSQI were assessed according to Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines. Results: We enrolled 222 individuals in this study (mean age 11 years). The PSQI demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.719). Test–retest reliability was assessed on a randomized subgroup of the sample (n = 35). The PSQI showed good test–retest reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.829 for the total score (95% confidence interval: 0.662–0.914). The Pearson correlation coefficient, used for construct validity, showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Conclusion: The PSQI proved to be a very reliable and valid tool to investigate sleep experiences in children.

Developing "MinDag" - an app to capture symptom variation and illness mechanisms in bipolar disorder.

IntroductionThe illness course of bipolar disorder (BD) is highly heterogeneous with substantial variation between individuals with the same BD subtype and within individuals over time. This heterogeneity is not well-delineated and hampers the development of more targeted treatment. Furthermore, although lifestyle-related behaviors are believed to play a role in the illness course, such mechanisms are poorly understood. To address some of these knowledge gaps, we aimed to develop an app for collection of multi-dimensional longitudinal data on BD-relevant symptoms and lifestyle-related behaviors.MethodsAn app named MinDag was developed at the Norwegian Center for Mental Disorders Research in Oslo, Norway. The app was designed to tap into selected areas: mood, sleep, functioning/activities (social, occupational, physical exercise, leisure), substance use, emotional reactivity, and psychotic experiences. Ethical, security and usability issues were highly prioritized throughout the development and for the final app solution. We conducted beta- and pilot testing to eliminate technical problems and enhance usability and acceptability.ResultsThe final version of MinDag comprises six modules; three which are presented for the user once daily (the Sleep module in the morning and the Mood and Functoning/Activities modules in the evening) and three which are presented once weekly (Substance Use, Emotional Reactivity, and Psychotic Experiences modules). In general, MinDag was well received in both in the beta-testing and the pilot study, and the participants provided valuable feedback that was taken into account in the final development. MinDag is now in use as part of the research protocol at the NORMENT center and in a specialized treatment unit for BD at Oslo University Hospital in Norway.DiscussionWe believe that MinDag will generate unique longitudinal data well suited for capturing the heterogeneity of BD and clarifying important unresolved issues such as how life-style related behavior may influence BD symptoms. Also, the experiences and knowledge derived from the development of MinDag may contribute to improving the security, acceptability, and benefit of digital tools in mental health.