The pediatric daytime sleepiness scale (PDSS): sleep habits and school outcomes in middle-school children.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a measure of daytime sleepiness suitable for middle-school children and examine the relationship between daytime sleepiness and school-related outcomes.


METHODS
Self-report questionnaire.


METHODS
Four hundred fifty, 11- to 15-year-old students, from grades 6, 7, and 8 of a public middle school in Dayton, Ohio.


RESULTS
A pediatric daytime sleepiness questionnaire was developed using factor analysis of questions regarding sleep-related behaviors. Results of the sleepiness questionnaire were then compared across other variables, including daily sleep patterns, school achievement, mood, and extracurricular activities.


RESULTS
Factor analysis on the 13 questions related to daytime sleepiness yielded 1 primary factor ("pediatric daytime sleepiness"; 32% of variance). Only items with factor loadings above .4 were included in the final sleepiness scale. Internal consistency (Chronbach's alpha) for the final 8-item scale was .80. Separate one-way analyses of variance and trend analyses were performed comparing pediatric daytime sleepiness scores at the 5 different levels of total sleep time and academic achievement. Participants who reported low school achievement, high rates of absenteeism, low school enjoyment, low total sleep time, and frequent illness reported significantly higher levels of daytime sleepiness compared to children with better school-related outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
The self-report scale developed in the present work is suitable for middle-school-age children and may be useful in future research given its ease of administration and robust psychometric properties. Daytime sleepiness is related to reduced educational achievement and other negative school-related outcomes.
Drake
Christopher
C
Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. cdrake1@hfhs.org
Nickel
Chelsea
C
Burduvali
Eleni
E
Roth
Thomas
T
Jefferson
Catherine
C
Pietro
Badia
B
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004522:Educational Status; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012890:Sleep; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires