Sleep for Science

School Sleep Habits Survey
Developed in 1994 by the Bradley Hospital/Brown University Sleep Research Lab, the School Sleep Habits Survey was administered to over 3,000 high school students in Rhode Island. Results using this instrument are reported in Wolfson R & Carskadon MA (1998). Sleep schedules and daytime functioning in adolescents. Child Development, 69, 875-887.

Results from the large high school survey were also reported by Acebo and Carskadon, 2002. A pdf file of this chapter may be downloaded here

Several groups have subsequently used this scale in studies of children's sleep in a number of countries. The survey items are provided in the pdf files below; investigators are welcome to use these survey items.

Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 1 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 2 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 3 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 4 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 5 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 6 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 7 PDF.
Download the School Sleep Habits Survey Page 8 PDF.


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The following scales were created from survey items.

Depressed Mood Scale

This scale is taken from Kandel DB & Davies M (1982). Epidemiology of depressive mood in adolescents: an empirical study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 1205-1212.

Each of the 6 items in Question # 46 is coded as 1=not at all, 2=somewhat, 3=much. Item scores are summed to obtain a total scale score.

Sleepiness Scale.

Each of 10 items in Question # 43 is coded as 1=no, 2=struggled to stay awake, 3=fallen asleep, 4=both struggled to stay awake and fallen asleep. Item scores are summed to obtain a total scale score

Sleep/Wake Problems Behavior Scale.

Each of 15 items in Question # 45 is coded as 5=everyday/night, 4=several times, 3=twice, 2=once, 1=never. Scores from 10 of the items are added to obtain a total scale score: b, c, d, f, g, h, I, j, k, m.

The Superscience Morningness/Eveningness Scale.

This scale is derived from responses to Questions 47 through 56.

Response items for Questions 47, 52, and 54 are coded from 5 to 1 with the first response item coded as 5 and the last response item coded as 1.

Response items for Questions 48, 53, and 55 are coded from 1 to 4 with the first response item coded as 1 and the last response item coded as 4.

Response items for Questions 49, 50, 51, and 56 are coded from 4 to 1 with the first response item coded as 4 and the last response item coded as 1.

Item scores are summed to obtain a total scale score.

Results from adminstering the SuperScience Morningness/Eveningness Scale to students in grades 4 through 6 are described in Carskadon MA, Vieira C & Acebo, C (1993). Association between puberty and delayed phase preference. Sleep, 16, 258-262.

Means, number of subjects, and standard deviations from this data set are reported in the table below:

SuperScience Morningness/ Eveningness Scale Mean SD
Grade 4 Boys (n=295) 29.53 5.95
Girls (n=303) 28.89 5.24
Grade 5 Boys (n=294) 28.48 5.81
Girls (n=324) 28.56 5.51
Grade 6 Boys (n=249) 28.53 5.74
Girls (n=323) 28.35 5.51