Translating and culturally adapting the sleep disturbance scale for children into Malayalam language: Enhancing pediatric health in the Indian context.

Purpose: The sleep disturbance scale for children (SDSC) is a well-regarded tool for assessing pediatric sleep disorders, covering areas such as sleep initiation, breathing issues, and arousal disorders. The SDSC, known for its reliability and validity, has been adapted for various age groups and languages and aligns with the Association of Sleep Disorders Centers classification system. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the SDSC into Malayalam language for use in Kerala, conducting a test with parents from the Trivandrum district.

Materials and methods: The SDSC was translated from English to Malayalam language through a systematic process involving bilingual experts, synthesis, back-translation, and expert review. Cognitive interviews refined the translation, which was then tested for reliability with 103 parents. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, while test-retest reliability was evaluated with Cohen's kappa, utilizing the SPSS version 20 for data analysis.

Results: The translated SDSC showed strong internal consistency, with an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.827 and domain-specific values between 0.7 and 0.8. Test-retest reliability was high, with correctness above 90% for all items and a Kappa statistics ranging from 0.66 to 0.88.

Conclusion: The SDSC was successfully translated and culturally adapted into Malayalam language, demonstrating strong internal consistency and high test-retest reliability. This indicates that the Malayalam language version of the SDSC is a reliable tool for assessing pediatric sleep disorders among children in Kerala, making it applicable for use in this specific cultural context.