Limitation Affecting All Studies on Sleep and Technology Use
The only measures used for sleep and technology use were self-reported (Option D).
Primary Limitation: Self-Report Bias
The evidence consistently demonstrates that self-reported measures are a fundamental limitation across sleep research studies. Self-reported sleep assessments are subject to recall biases and have limited validity compared to objective measures like polysomnography (PSG) 1. This limitation is particularly relevant when examining sleep habits and technology use patterns, as participants must retrospectively estimate their behaviors.
Why Self-Report is Problematic
- Sleep questionnaires and diaries are inherently influenced by recall biases, making them less reliable than objective measurements 1
- Self-reported measures are affected by patient expectations about sleep, which can distort the accuracy of reported sleep duration and quality 1
- The high variability of self-reported measures introduces significant bias in research results, particularly when assessing sleep duration and screen time behaviors 1
Context from Sleep Research
Recent data from 2017-2020 shows that while self-report remains the primary method for assessing sleep habits in large population studies, this approach has inherent limitations 2. The evidence indicates that the sometimes-limited validity and reliability of survey instruments to assess recreational screen time guidelines, as well as the different types and number of screen-based behaviors, represents a significant methodological concern 1.
Why Other Options Are Less Likely
- Option A (Confounding by indication): This would not affect all studies uniformly, as some study designs can control for this bias
- Option B (Cross-sectional designs only): Sleep research includes longitudinal studies, not exclusively cross-sectional designs 1
- Option C (Low response rate): This varies by study and is not a universal limitation
- Option E (Survival bias): This is not a characteristic limitation of sleep and technology research
The reliance on self-reported measures represents the most pervasive methodological limitation across sleep and technology use studies, affecting data quality and validity regardless of study design 1.