National Institute for Health and Care Research

Insomnia Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: Screening for Sleep Problems With the Two-Step Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI-02)

Illingworth et al. (2024) examine the usefulness of a brief two-item sleep screening tool for identifying insomnia symptoms and sleep difficulties in children and adolescents.

Using data from over 29,000 young people, the authors identified five distinct sleep profiles ranging from good sleepers to poor sleepers with significant daytime sleepiness. The two-item Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI-02) successfully differentiated between these profiles and identified young people experiencing clinically significant sleep difficulties. Poor sleep was particularly common among females and older adolescents, while daytime sleepiness was more prevalent in secondary school students. Overall, the study highlights the SCI-02 as a practical and efficient screening tool that could support early identification of sleep problems in school and community settings.

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