Linguistic validation of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) in Iranian children with Persian language

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to have a linguistic validation of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) in Iranian children with Persian language.MethodsThe study included a randomly selected sample of children, aged 6–15 years, from three primary and secondary schools located in Isfahan City, Iran. Following the forward–backward translation method, parents completed the SDSC as well as the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™). Reliability (Cronbach’s α) and convergent validity (item–subscale and subscale–total correlations) were assessed. The association of SDSC scores with PedsQL scores was evaluated for construct validity.ResultsOne hundred children were studied; mean age, 9.36 ± 2.58 years, 68 girls. Scale Cronbach’s α was 0.82, ranging from 0.40 for ‘disorder of arousal’ to 0.86 for ‘sleep hyperhidrosis’ subscales. Convergent validity was acceptable according to the corrected item–subscale correlations (r = 0.22–0.76) and corrected subscale–total correlations (r = 0.30–0.50). The SDSC total score as well as its subscales, except the ‘disorder of arousal’, were associated with the total PedsQL score and its factors (r = −0.20 to −0.64).ConclusionThe overall psychometric properties of the Persian version of the SDSC seem to be appropriate in Iranian children.