Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children: Italian Validation in Autism Spectrum Disorder Population

Ester Mignolli, Alessia Scialpi, Donatella Valente (), Anna Berardi, Giovanni Galeoto and Marco Tofani
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Ester Mignolli: Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopaedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alessia Scialpi: Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopaedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Donatella Valente: Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Anna Berardi: Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Galeoto: Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Marco Tofani: Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-9

Abstract: Sleep disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are well-described. However, there is a lack of specific assessment tools to investigate sleep disturbance in this target population. The present investigation reports the Italian validation of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) in the ASD population, also investigating the correlation between sleep disorders In both children and parents. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were investigated using Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively. Concurrent validity was analyzed by comparing the score of the SDSC with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while the correlation between the SDCS score and the General Sleep Disturbance Scale (GSDS) was used to analyze the correlation between sleep disorders in children and sleep disorders in their parents. In total, 99 children with a diagnosis of ASD participated in the study. Cronbach’s alpha revealed satisfactory value (0.853), as well as reliability (ICC 0.972) and concurrent validity (0.745). Our results also revealed a significant linear correlation between children’s and parents’ sleep disorders ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, we found the SDSC to be a useful tool for measuring sleep disorders in ASD children. Our findings offer concrete inputs to achieve adequate pathways for taking care of children with ASDs and their parents.

Keywords: sleep; sleep disorder; autism spectrum disorder; insomnia; children; parents; quality of sleep; outcome measure; validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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