Conceptualizing Sleep Quality in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Psychometric Evidence for a Multidimensional Structure

This study examines whether sleep quality in the third trimester of pregnancy can be conceptualized as a distinct multidimensional construct. Although sleep disturbances during pregnancy are widely reported, sleep quality in late pregnancy is often assessed using general sleep measures that may not adequately capture phase-specific and pregnancy-related characteristics.Using a theory-driven psychometric approach, this study evaluates the latent factor structure of third-trimester maternal sleep quality as operationalized through a brief, trimester-specific self-report instrument. The preregistration specifies the study aims, hypotheses, sampling strategy, and confirmatory analytic plan to clearly distinguish confirmatory analyses from any subsequent exploratory work.By clarifying the multidimensional structure of sleep quality in late pregnancy, this study aims to contribute to a more precise conceptualization of maternal sleep disturbances with potential implications for antenatal care and perinatal mental health research.