Pediatric Sleep Survey Instrument - a screening tool for sleep disordered breathing

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the construct validity and clinical application of the Pediatric Sleep Survey Instrument (PSSI) as a tool to screen for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children. Methods: Polysomnography (PSG) outcomes and PSSI subscale scores were compared between a clinical cohort (N = 87, 5–10 years, 62 M/25 F) and a nonsnoring community sample (N = 55, 5–10 years, 28 M/27 F). Group comparisons assessed the ability of the PSSI subscales to discriminate between the clinical and community cohorts. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves assessed construct validity, with the Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI) >5 events/h, OSA-18 score >60, and Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) above the 70th percentile as the target references. Results: The clinical group had more respiratory events, respiratory-related arousals, fragmented sleep, and lower oxygen saturation nadir than the community group (p < 0.001 for all). PSSI subscale scores of Morning Tiredness, Night Arousals, SDB, and Restless Sleep were higher (p < 0.001 for all) in the clinical cohort, confirming the tool’s ability to identify clinically relevant sleep problems. ROC curves confirmed the diagnostic accuracy of the SDB subscale against an AHI > 5 events/h (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.7), an OSA-18 score >60 (AUC = 0.7), and a PDSS score in the 70th percentile (AUC = 0.8). The Morning Tiredness subscale accurately predicted a PDSS score in the 70th percentile (AUC = 0.8). A cutoff score of 5 on the SDB subscale showed a sensitivity of 0.94 and a specificity of 0.76, correctly identifying 77 and 100 % of the clinical and community cohorts, respectively. Conclusion: The PSSI Sleep Disordered Breathing subscale is a valid tool for screening SDB and daytime sleepiness in children aged 5–10 years.