The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ): Psychometric Properties of A Survey Instrument for School-Aged Children

TLDR

The CSHQ provides a total score and eight subscale scores covering major medical and behavioral sleep disorders in school‑aged children. The study presents psychometric data for the parent‑report Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) for school‑aged children. A cross‑sectional survey of parents of 469 community children and 154 clinic patients from three elementary schools and a pediatric sleep clinic was conducted. The CSHQ showed adequate internal consistency (α = 0.68–0.78), acceptable test‑retest reliability (0.62–0.79), and discriminated between community and sleep‑disordered groups, with a cut‑off score of 41 yielding 80 % sensitivity and 72 % specificity.

Abstract

To present psychometric data on a comprehensive, parent-report sleep screening instrument designed for school-aged children, the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). The CSHQ yields both a total score and eight subscale scores, reflecting key sleep domains that encompass the major medical and behavioral sleep disorders in this age group. Cross-sectional survey. Three elementary schools in New England, a pediatric sleep disorders clinic in a children's teaching hospital. Parents of 469 school-aged children, aged 4 through 10 years (community sample), and parents of 154 patients diagnosed with sleep disorders in a pediatric sleep clinic completed the CSHQ. N/A The CSHQ showed adequate internal consistency for both the community sample (=0.68) and the clinical sample (=0.78); alpha coefficients for the various subscales of the CSHQ ranged from 0.36 (Parasomnias) to 0.70 (Bedtime Resistance) for the community sample, and from 0.56 (Parasomnias) to 0.93 (Sleep-Disordered Breathing) for the sleep clinic group. Test-retest reliability was acceptable (range 0.62 to 0.79). CSHQ individual items, as well as the subscale and total scores were able to consistently differentiate the community group from the sleep-disordered group, demonstrating validity. A cut-off total CSHQ score of 41 generated by analysis of the Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve (ROC) correctly yielded a sensitivity of 0.80 and specificity of 0.72. The CSHQ appears to be a useful sleep screening instrument to identify both behaviorally based and medically-based sleep problems in school-aged children.