A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Among Law Enforcement Officers

Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are at increased risk for sleep disorders relative to the general population. Common LEO occupational stressors, including critical incidents and shift work, predict sleep disturbance, which in turn negatively impacts health, performance, and community safety. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Sleep Disturbance 4-item (PROMIS SD4) was developed to assess self-reported sleep quality, satisfaction, and difficulties falling asleep. Previous studies suggest PROMIS-SD short-forms (4-, 6-, and 8-items) have good psychometric properties; however, evaluation of this easily-administered measure in high-stress, frontline populations is limited. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the PROMIS-SD4 in a sample of LEOs (N = 111). A confirmatory factor analysis suggests that the original one-factor solution, with a correlated error-term, provides an excellent fit to the data, SBχ²(2) = 1.62, p =.23, CFI =.99, RMSEA =.12, SRMR =.01. The PROMIS SD4 demonstrated good reliability (α =.85) and evidence of convergent validity correlations in the expected direction with domains of psychological distress, positive health outcomes, reactivity, and body experience (all p’s <.05). Results suggest that the PROMIS-SD4 is a valid and reliable measure of sleep disturbance among LEOs. Trial registration Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02521454.