The Arabic translation of the DBAS-16 demonstrated a factor structure similar to the original scale, with acceptable internal consistency, reliability, and measurement invariance across genders, suggesting it may be useful in both research and clinical settings for assessing dysfunctional sleep beliefs in Arabic-speaking populations.
The Arabic DBAS-16 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and composite reliability across its subscales.
Both the four-factor and second-order structural models of the Arabic DBAS-16 demonstrated acceptable model fit.
Measurement invariance of the Arabic DBAS-16 was supported at all levels across genders.
Higher Arabic DBAS-16 total scores were significantly, albeit modestly, associated with higher psychological distress, providing evidence of concurrent validity.
The translation process involved careful balancing of literal and cultural distinctions to ensure semantic equivalency between the original English and Arabic versions.
This research suggests that an Arabic version of a well-known sleep beliefs questionnaire called the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep Scale (DBAS-16) can be reliably used to measure unhelpful thoughts and attitudes about sleep in Arabic-speaking populations. The study tested this translated questionnaire on 670 university students in an Arab country, examining whether it was consistent, accurate, and worked equally well for both male and female students. The researchers found that the Arabic version maintained the same structure as the original English scale and showed adequate reliability, suggesting it captures the same concepts it was designed to measure. The study also found that students who held more dysfunctional beliefs about sleep tended to report higher levels of psychological distress, which supports the idea that the scale is measuring something real and clinically meaningful. Importantly, the scale performed equally well for male and female students, meaning results can be fairly compared across genders. This is significant because previously there were very few validated tools available to researchers and clinicians working in Arabic-speaking contexts to assess sleep-related beliefs. This research matters because dysfunctional beliefs about sleep — such as catastrophizing about poor sleep or holding unrealistic expectations — are known to play a role in the development and persistence of insomnia and other sleep problems. Having a validated Arabic tool means that clinicians and researchers in Arab-speaking regions can now more accurately identify and study these beliefs, potentially improving access to evidence-based treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) in these populations. The findings are based on university students, so further research would be needed to confirm the scale's usefulness in other age groups and clinical settings.
Upload your bloodwork. We'll cross-reference your results against this study and 4,700 others.
Upload Your LabsEweida R, Abou Tayeh S, Fekih-Romdhane F, Obeid S, Hamed A, Sorour D, et al.. (2026). Psychometric Properties of an Arabic Translation of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep Scale (DBAS-16) in a Sample of University Students.. International journal of methods in psychiatric research. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.70103