Validation of the Parental Understanding and Misperceptions about BAby's Sleep Questionnaire using auto‐videosomnography

Background Previous studies have suggested that parental cognitions about child's sleep may be an important factor underlying pediatric sleep problems. The current study aimed to (a) develop an assessment tool measuring parental understanding and misperceptions about baby's sleep (PUMBA‐Q); (b) validate the questionnaire using self‐report and objective sleep measures. Methods There were 1,420 English‐speaking caregivers (68.0% mothers, 46.8% of children being females, mean age 12.3 months), who has completed online self‐reported questionnaires. The PUMBA‐Q, which was developed for this study, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS) and Maternal Cognitions about Infant Sleep Questionnaire (MCISQ) were included to evaluate participant's thoughts on their own or child's sleep. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was collected to access participant's subjective insomnia severity. Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire‐Revised (BISQ‐R) was used to assess parental‐reported child sleep. Auto‐videosomnography was used to record child's sleep. Results Exploratory factor analysis indicated the best fit with a 4‐factor model using 23 items (RMSEA = .039). The four subscales were labeled: (a) Misperceptions about parental intervention; (b) Misperceptions about feeding; (c) Misperceptions about child's sleep; and (d) General anxiety of parents. Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach's alpha = .86). PUMBA‐Q scores were significantly associated with MCISQ (r = .64, p