Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review articles that used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale
to measure sleep quality among adults with trauma experiences. Methods: Databases such as PubMed, CINAHL,
Embase, Cochrane, Medline, Google Scholar, Riss, NDSL, and reference data were searched systematically for
relevant studies from July 5 to 6, 2018. A quality assessment was conducted using the COSMIN (COnsensus-based
Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) risk of bias checklist, including content validity,
structural validity, internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, hypotheses testing, cross-cultural validity,
criterion validity, and responsiveness. Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. All selected studies
confirmed the overall quality of sleep by total score, but only 28.6% of the papers presented subscales. The quality
of the methodology used varied within and between studies. Internal consistency of 21.5%, cross-cultural validity
of 7.1%, and criterion validity of 14.2% were all evaluated as sufficient (+). Reliability and measurement errors were
not presented in selected studies. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that overall quality of sleep was measured
by analyzing the characteristics and measurement attributes of the PSQI. However, as a result of the varying
purposes of each study, the full potential of the tool could not be optimized. Future research should assess the
attributes of the PSQI based on the content specified in the COSMIN evaluation standard, using it carefully to
consider the target population’s socio-cultural characteristics.