INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to develop rating scales for assessing an individual's misconceptions and overexpectations regarding sleep medications. METHODS: An online survey was conducted among the general population in Korea. Scale items were generated and refined using exploratory factor analyses, and the final versions were validated using confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent validity was examined using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep-6 (DBAS-6), Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale (GSES), and sleep indices, including the two-item questionnaire version of the discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time (DBSTq-2). RESULTS: Responses from 550 participants were analyzed. The two-factor model of the 10-item Sleep medications MYTH-understanding (SMYTH) scale demonstrated excellent model fit (comparative fit index CFI = 0.99, Tucker-Lewis index TLI = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation RMSEA = 0.019, and standardized root mean square residual SRMR = 0.054) and good reliability of internal consistency (McDonald's ω = 0.895). The SMYTH scale was significantly correlated with the DBSTq-2, GAD-7, DBAS-6, and GSES. Additionally, a single-factor model, the 10-item Sleep Medications Overexpectation of REsponses (SMORE) scale, was developed. The SMORE scale demonstrated excellent fit indices (CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.005, and SRMR = 0.059) and high reliability (McDonald's ω = 0.935). The SMORE scale was also significantly correlated with the DBSTq-2, ISI, PHQ-2, GAD-7, DBAS-6, and GSES. CONCLUSIONS: The SMYTH and SMORE scales are reliable and valid rating instruments for measuring misunderstandings and overexpectations related to sleep medications.
Chung et al. (Sat,) studied this question.