Reliability and validity of the Daily Cognitive–Communication and Sleep Profile: a new instrument for monitoring sleep, wakefulness and daytime function

The Daily Cognitive Communicative and Sleep Profile (DCCASP) is a seven-item instrument that captures daily subjective sleep quality, perceived mood, cognitive, and communication functions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the DCCASP. The DCCASP was self-administered daily to a convenience sample of young adults (n = 54) for two two-week blocks, interspersed with a two-week rest period. Afterwards, participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Internal consistency and criterion validity were calculated by Cronbach's α coefficient, Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC), and Spearman rank (rs) correlation coefficient, respectively. Results indicated high internal consistency (Cronbach-s α = 0.864-0.938) among mean ratings of sleep quality on the DCCASP. There were significant correlations between mean ratings of sleep quality and all domains (rs=0.38-0.55, p<0.0001). Criterion validity was established between mean sleep quality ratings on the DCCASP and PSQI (rs=0.40, p<0.001). The DCCASP is a reliable and valid self-report instrument to monitor daily sleep quality and perceived mood, cognitive, and communication functions over time, amongst a normative sample of young adults. Further studies on its psychometric properties are necessary to clarify its utility in a clinical population.