The German version of the Revised Adolescent Sleep–Wake Scale (rASWS) – A validation study in pediatric pain patients and school children

Abstract

Objective Sleep problems are common in children and adolescents with chronic pain. The revised Adolescent Sleep–Wake Scale (rASWS) is an internationally well-established instrument to assess sleep quality in adolescents. So far, no German version is available. The study aimed to provide a validated German version of the rASWS, specifically for use in children and adolescents with chronic pain.

Methods The translated questionnaire was validated in a sample of N = 159 pediatric outpatients with chronic pain (8-17 years; 65.4% female), who presented to a specialized pediatric pain center. For cross-validation a of community sample of N = 1348 school children was analyzed.

Results Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factor structure of the original 10-item 3-factor model in the sample of children and adolescents with chronic pain, which showed poor model fit. Model modifications were carried out by deleting 3 items with low factor loadings stepwise. The overall model fit of the final 3-factor model containing 7 items was excellent. Cronbach’s α of the derived scales ranged from 0.74 to 0.86. Cross-validation in a community sample of school children confirmed the superiority of the 7-item model. The convergent validity of the measure was proved by moderate correlations between the rASWS and self-reported sleep problems. Associations with chronic pain characteristics were evident for pain-related disability.

Conclusions The use of the 7-item version of the rASWS for German-speaking children and adolescents with and without chronic pain is recommended as a self-report measure of sleep quality.

Dr. Benedikt Claus

Psychologist

Benedikt is particullary interested in psychotherapy research and research methods.

PD Dr. Julia Wager

Science Director

Julia is primarily interested in chronic pain research for children and adolescents