OBJECTIVE

To examine the discrepancy between sleep diary and actigraphic measures of sleep in Veterans with moderate-severe post-acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to explore whether these discrepancies vary according to participant characteristics.

SETTING

VA Medical Center in the Rocky Mountain United States.

PARTICIPANTS

Nineteen males with moderate-severe post-acute TBI and insomnia symptoms as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index.

DESIGN

Descriptive, cross-sectional.

MAIN MEASURES

Sleep diary, wrist actigraphy, Ohio State University TBI-Identification Method, Insomnia Severity Index, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

RESULTS

There was poor agreement between actigraphic and sleep diary measurements of (1) total sleep time, (2) wake after sleep onset, and (3) sleep onset latency. On average, actigraphy measured greater duration of all 3 sleep parameters. Discrepancies were not found to be associated with specific TBI characteristics or mood-related symptoms.

CONCLUSION

When measuring sleep-related outcomes among Veterans with moderate-severe post-acute TBI, notable mismatches were found between actigraphic and self-reported sleep diary data. Knowledge regarding measure-related limitations is important for both clinical and research practices among those with moderate-severe post-acute TBI.