SDSC
Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC)
The SDSC for ages 4 to 16 is a screening questionnaire for sleep disorders in children and adolescents, completed by a parent or caregiver based on observations over the past six months. The validated French version has 25 items and explores five clinically useful dimensions: insomnia, parasomnias, nocturnal breathing problems, nonrestorative sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. The tool is particularly relevant in psychology, child psychiatry, and pediatric consultations, and in identifying difficulties associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and with emotional, attentional, or behavioral difficulties.
- Number of questions
- 25 questions
- Estimated duration
- 10 minutes
- Language
- English
- Original name
- Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children
- Target audience
- Children aged 4-16
- Authors
- Oliviero Bruni, Salvatore Ottaviano, Vincenzo Guidetti, Manuela Romoli, Margherita Innocenzi, Flavia Cortesi, Flavia Giannotti (1996)
- Category
- Adolescent care, Childhood, General
Scoring & interpretation
Each item is scored from 1 to 5, with a higher score indicating a more marked disturbance. The total score is the sum of the 25 items, ranging from 25 to 125. In the French validation for ages 4 to 16, a total score above 45 suggests a clinically significant sleep disorder. Five subscores are calculated: insomnia with items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9, cutoff above 21; parasomnias with items 6, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, cutoff above 17; breathing problems with items 7, 11, 12, 13, and 14, cutoff above 12; nonrestorative sleep with items 20, 21, and 22, cutoff above 11; excessive daytime sleepiness with items 23, 24, and 25, cutoff above 5. Interpretation should remain a clinical screening and be cross-checked with the interview, the history, and ideally a sleep diary.
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