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International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research logoLink to International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
. 2026 Aug 21;35(3):e70103. doi: 10.1002/mpr.70103

Psychometric Properties of an Arabic Translation of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep Scale (DBAS‐16) in a Sample of University Students

Rasha Salah Eweida 1,2,✉, Simona Abou Tayeh 3, Feten Fekih‐Romdhane 4,5, Sahar Obeid 6, Alaa Eldin Moustafa Hamed 7,8, Dina Metwally Sorour 9, Souheil Hallit 3,10,✉
PMCID: PMC13494739  PMID: 42626777

ABSTRACT

Background

The development and maintenance of sleep habits are significantly influenced by dysfunctional attitudes and perspectives about sleep. There is a paucity of research on sleep issues in Arab environments, which is probably due to a lack of validated and culturally appropriate assessment instruments. An Arabic version of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS‐16) will be psychometrically validated in this study using a sample of college students.

Methods

A total of 670 university students (mean age = 20.38 ± 1.97 years; 59.1% female) participated in a cross‐sectional study. To ensure semantic equivalency between the original and Arabic forms, the DBAS‐16 scale was translated and modified for use in the current study. The translation team made sure to carefully balance the literal and cultural distinctions. To identify and correct any discrepancies, the original and translated English versions were thoroughly compared. Composite reliability was assessed using McDonald's and Cronbach's α, with values greater than 0.70 reflecting adequate composite reliability. Concurrent validity was examined via correlations with psychological distress (PHQ‐4).

Results

The four‐factor and the second order models demonstrated acceptable fit. Measurement invariance was supported at all levels across genders, with no significant difference in DBAS‐16 scores between males and females. Higher DBAS‐16 total scores were significantly, albeit modestly, associated with higher psychological distress (PHQ‐4), providing evidence of concurrent validity.

Conclusion

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. The Arabic DBAS‐16 may be useful in both research and clinical settings for assessing dysfunctional sleep beliefs in Arabic speaking populations.

Keywords: anxiety, depression, dysfunctional beliefs, sleep, university students

1. Introduction

University students, worldwide, frequently have erratic sleep cycles, poor sleep hygiene and suffer from sleep deprivation (Hershner and Chervin 2014). The consequences of such sleep patterns can be problematic and can impact academic performance (Hershner and Chervin 2014). According to a systematic review by Bjørnnes et al., the percentage of university students who reported having sleep problems was 48%, with rates ranging from 40% in Europe to 55% in Africa and South America (Bjørnnes et al. 2021). A systematic review of 34 studies including 14,704 university students found that poor sleep is highly prevalent, with individual studies reporting rates ranging from 36.8% to 53.8%, while up to 65% of students experience high stress levels (Gardani et al. 2022). A large cross‐sectional study (N = 55,322 students) found that university students experienced sleep issues on an average of 2.43 days per week (Hartmann and Prichard 2018). Existing literature indicates that heightened sleep difficulties among college‐aged students are associated with poor mental health outcomes, impaired academic performance, and reduced daytime functioning (Castillo et al. 2023; Humphries et al. 2022).Several factors contribute to poor sleep quality and patterns among university students specifically. Strong evidence suggests that stress is a major factor in the emergence of sleep problems in higher education students (Gardani et al. 2022). In the study by (Lund et al. 2010), students vigorously stated that emotional and academic stress negatively affected sleep. While environmental and behavioral triggers have been identified as common contributors, cognitive factors may also play a critical role.

Dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep represent an essential framework within cognitive models of insomnia. According to cognitive‐behavioral models of insomnia, sleep‐disruptive cognitions are commonly observed among insomnia sufferers during the pre‐sleep period (Harvey 2002; Lee et al. 2022). People who have trouble sleeping frequently have negative cognitive beliefs about how much sleep they need and worry excessively when those needs aren't met (Jin et al. 2018). Unrealistic expectations for sleep duration, inflated concerns about the effects of sleep deprivation, uncertainty about the reasons for insomnia, and a sense of powerlessness over one's sleep are examples of dysfunctional or distorted attitudes about sleep (Jin et al. 2018). These beliefs can exacerbate mental health comorbidities and disrupt sleep by amplifying perceived stress (Muthuraman et al. 2024). As such, they can perpetuate a vicious cycle of helplessness or hopelessness, which are frequently associated with depression (Humphries et al. 2022; Morin et al. 2007). These false expectations, perceptions, and excessive concern, in turn, play a critical role in creating emotional discomfort, increasing arousal, and feeding the insomnia vicious cycle (Morin et al. 2003). Unrealistic or counterproductive beliefs about sleep may also activate autonomic arousal by triggering ruminations and fearful anticipation, often plunging individuals into heightened anxiety and/or emotional distress (Lipson et al. 2022). Given the high prevalence of sleep difficulties within the student population, there is a pressing need for psychometric validation of sleep‐related erroneous beliefs and attitudes in this group.

Despite growing awareness of cognitive factors in the etiology of insomnia, there aren't many tools available to find and assess patient‐specific sleep‐related cognitions that are relevant to treatment.

One of the most widely used instruments is the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS‐30), which was first developed by Morin (1993) (Morin et al. 1993). It includes 30 items that were scored using visual analog scales measuring 100 mm, extensively analyzed to assess individuals' counterproductive or distorted beliefs related to the causes of insomnia, erroneous attributions of insomnia‐related consequences, and irrational sleep expectations in both clinical and nonclinical populations.

A shortened 16‐item version (DBAS‐16) was later developed by Morin and colleagues to ease administration and enhance the scale's utility and cost‐effectiveness (Morin et al. 2007). The initial set of items was derived from psychological conceptualizations of insomnia, as well as clinical experience with insomnia patients. These items were chosen to represent a wide range of beliefs and worries shared by insomnia sufferers (Morin 1993). Five conceptually derived themes emerged from the nature of these beliefs: (a) misconceptions regarding the underlying causes of insomnia (e.g., “I am convinced that insomnia is essentially the consequence of a chemical imbalance”); (b) misunderstandings or overestimations of its consequences (e.g., “I am worried that persistent insomnia may have a significant impact on my physical health”); (c) misconceptions about the required amount of sleep (e.g., “To be able to function well on the next day, I must get 8 hours of sleep”); (d) a decreased sense of predictability and control over sleep (e.g., “When I sleep insufficiently on one night, I am certain that it will interfere with my sleeping pattern over the whole week”); and (e) erroneous beliefs about sleep‐promoting practices (e.g., “When I struggle to fall asleep, I need to remain in bed and try harder”) (Morin et al. 2007) (Carney et al. 2010). Clinicians and researchers worldwide are increasingly using this scale, which has been translated into several languages, including French, Italian, German, Japanese, and Swedish (Morin et al. 2007).

In university settings, the DBAS‐16 has proven effective in identifying heightened negative beliefs concerning sleep (Jin et al. 2018). Although the instrument currently lacks a definitive diagnostic cut‐off (Morin et al. 2007), empirical consensus suggests that a score of 4 or above on a 10‐point continuum denotes unfavorable sleep expectations (Ain et al. 2020; Neilson et al. 2022). Importantly, the DBAS‐16 possesses robust discriminative validity; research consistently shows it yields significantly different scores when comparing individuals suffering from insomnia to those with healthy sleep patterns (Carney et al. 2010) Furthermore, studies have shown that DBAS‐16 scores change in response to insomnia treatment, demonstrating the scale's sensitivity in detecting therapeutic effects (Edinger et al. 2001; Roane et al. 2012). The DBAS‐16 has been translated and validated in several cultural contexts, including Moroccan and Spanish populations, demonstrating its cross‐cultural reliability and applicability (Abdelilah, Ibtissam, Abdelhalem, Ali, Aboubaker, Samira, Najat, and Zouhayr 2024b; Sierra et al. 2005). However, the validation of the Moroccan Arabic and Tamazight versions (Abdelilah, Ibtissam, Abdelhalem, Ali, Aboubaker, Samira, Najat, and Zouhayr 2024b) was conducted in a dialect‐specific population; therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to other Arabic‐speaking groups.

The Arabic‐speaking population does not currently have a validated version of the DBAS‐16 particularly among university students, as they constitute a particularly relevant population for the assessment of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep because they have a relatively higher risk for sleep disturbances compared with the general population (Al Salmani et al. 2020; Yassin et al. 2020). Therefore, this study aims to psychometrically validate an Arabic translation of the DBAS‐16 within a sample of Arabic‐speaking university students. Specifically, we seek to investigate the factor structure of the Arabic DBAS‐16, confirm its reliability, assess measurement invariance across genders, and examine its concurrent validity. To evaluate convergent validity, we will analyze correlations with measures of anxiety, depression, drawing on previous literature that demonstrates an inverse relationship between DBAS‐16, as well as positive associations between DBAS‐16 and anxiety and depression (Almaas et al. 2022). We hypothesize that the Arabic translation of the DBAS‐16 will display measurement invariance across genders, show adequate internal consistency and reliability, and maintain a factor structure similar to the original scale.

2. Methods

2.1. Participants & Procedure

A convenience sample of 670 undergraduate students, aged between 18 and 25, across all academic grades at the Faculty of Nursing, Helwan University, were recruited for this study. Inclusion criteria required participants to be within this specified age range and willing to participate in the study. Whereas students who were outside this age interval or diagnosed with any psychological condition were excluded. Prior to the main data collection, a 30‐participant pilot study was conducted to evaluate the survey's duration, technical feasibility, and clarity; data from this pilot were not included in the final database. For the recruitment process, an electronic questionnaire was distributed to the sampling frame via academic emails between July 2024 and January 2025. To encourage participation, two reminder emails were sent at 2‐week intervals. The survey's initial section detailed the study's purpose and included an online consent form. After voluntarily selecting the “agree” button, participants anonymously completed the remainder of the questionnaire, which comprised socio‐demographic questions and three self‐reported measurement instruments. A total of 701 students were initially invited to participate. Following data collection, responses with missing or invalid data, as well as those from participants meeting the exclusion criteria, were removed using leastwise deletion. This process yielded the final analytic sample of 670 participants, representing a response rate of 95.6%.

2.2. Measures

2.2.1. Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep (DBAS‐16)

The Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep scale (DBAS‐16) consists of 16 items categorized into four subscales including; Sleep Expectations (items 1, 2), Worry/Helplessness (items 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 14), Consequences (items 5, 7, 9, 12, 16), and Medication (items 6, 13, 15). Each item is rated on a 10‐point Likert scale ranging from 0 (“strongly disagree”) to 10 (“strongly agree”). The overall score is calculated by summing the mean scores of the four subscales and dividing by four. A final mean score of four or higher denotes the presence of maladaptive or dysfunctional sleep beliefs, whereas a score below 4 reflects more realistic and adaptive attitudes toward sleep (Morin et al. 2007). Before being employed in the current study, the DBAS‐16 scale was translated and adapted to the Arabic language and Lebanese culture in compliance with international standards and guidelines to establish semantic parity between the original and Arabic versions (van Widenfelt et al. 2005). Forward and backward translation were employed in this process. A bilingual research translator who was not participating in the study first translated the English version into Arabic. After that, the Arabic text was translated back into English. The translation team ensured that both literal and cultural nuances were carefully balanced. The original and translated English versions were carefully compared in order to find and correct any inconsistencies.

2.2.2. The Patient Health Questionnaire‐4 (PHQ‐4)

The PHQ‐4 is a four‐item self‐reported scale designed to measure psychological distress. The PHQ‐4 has been validated in Arabic (Obeid et al. 2024). Participants are asked how often they have been bothered by specific problems in the last 2 weeks. Response options include: “not at all” (scored as 0), “several days” (1), “more than half the days” (2), and “nearly every day” (Löwe et al. 2010).

2.3. Analytic Strategy

We conducted a CFA via R version 4.5.2 using the lavaan package (v0.6–21). Based on the recommendation of 20 times per scale's variables (Mundfrom et al. 2005), we estimated a minimum sample of 360 participants. The parameters were estimated using the weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) approach. A number of fit indices were computed, including the Tucker‐Lewis Index (TLI), Comparative Fit Index (CFI) (≥ 0.90 for both), standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) (≤ 0.05), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (≤ 0.08) (Byrne 2013). Initially, multivariate normality was not confirmed (Mardia's skewness and kurtosis tests p < 0.001); however, given the ordinal nature of the items, analyses proceeded using the WLSMV estimator.

The measurement invariance of DBAS‐16 scores between genders at the configural, metric, scalar, and strict levels was examined using a multi‐group CFA (Chen 2007). The evidence of invariance was confirmed by ΔCFI ≤ 0.010 and ΔRMSEA ≤ 0.015 or ΔSRMR ≤ 0.01033 (Vandenberg and Lance 2000). The Student t test was used to compare DBAS‐16 scores between genders.

McDonald's ω, Cronbach's α, and composite reliability (CR) were used to measure composite reliability; values higher than 0.70 indicated adequate reliability. The Pearson test was used to assess the relationship between the DBAS‐16 scores and other scores.

3. Results

There were 670 participants in total, with a mean age of 20.38 years and 59.1% being female. Table 1 contains further descriptive information for the sample.

TABLE 1.

Sociodemographic and other characteristics of the sample (N = 670).

Variable N (%)
Sex
Male 246 (36.7%)
Female 422 (63.0%)
Mean ± SD
Age (years) 20.38 ± 1.97
Household crowding index (person/room) 1.85 ± 0.62
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Note: Sex data were missing for two participants; therefore, frequencies for sex sum to 668 although the total study sample comprised 670 participants.

3.1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis

The fit indices of the four‐factor model were acceptable (χ2(98) = 402.30, RMSEA = 0.068 (90% CI 0.061, 0.075), SRMR = 0.057, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.981). All standardized factor loadings were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and ranged from 0.30 to 0.78, supporting the proposed four‐factor structure of the DABS‐16. The fit indices of the second‐order model were acceptable as well (χ2 (100) = 405.42, RMSEA = 0.068 (90% CI 0.061, 0.074), SRMR = 0.057, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.981). The standardised estimates of factor loadings of the model are shown in Figure 1. The total DBAS‐16 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.86; Composite reliability (CR) = 0.96). Across the subscales, ordinal Cronbach's α values ranged from 0.63 to 0.77, McDonald's ω values ranged from 0.64 to 0.75, and composite reliability values ranged from 0.66 to 0.79, indicating marginal to acceptable internal consistency. At the item level, corrected item‐total correlations ranged from 0.19 to 0.64. All items except DBAS‐16.1 showed corrected item‐total correlations above 0.30, whereas DBAS‐16.1 demonstrated a comparatively low corrected item‐total correlation of 0.19. Floor effects ranged from 1.64% to 49.40%, with a pronounced floor effect observed for DBAS‐16.6. Ceiling effects ranged from 9.25% to 46.27% with several items exceeding the conventional 15% threshold. Detailed item‐level descriptive statistics, corrected item0total correlations, and floor and ceiling effects are presented in Table S1.

FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1

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Standardized loading factors deriving from the confirmatory factor analysis of the four‐factor model of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS‐16).

3.2. Gender Invariance

Gender invariance was demonstrated at the metric, scalar, and strict levels (Table 2). There was no discernible difference in DBAS‐16 scores between males and females (104.21 ± 28.87 vs. 101.56 ± 27.38; t(490.79) = 1.17, p = 0.244, Cohen's d = 0.09).

TABLE 2.

Measurement Invariance of the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS‐16) across sex.

Model CFI RMSEA SRMR Model comparison ΔCFI ΔRMSEA ΔSRMR
Configural 0.985 0.069 0.064
Metric 0.978 0.081 0.073 Configural versus metric −0.007 0.012 0.009
Scalar 0.984 0.056 0.068 Metric versus scalar 0.006 −0.025 −0.005
Strict 0.984 0.056 0.068 Scalar versus strict < 0.001 < 0.001 < 0.001
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Abbreviations: CFI = Comparative fit index; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; SRMR = Standardised root mean square residual.

3.3. Concurrent Validity

Higher DBAS‐16 total scores were significantly associated with higher PHQ‐4 scores (r = 0.23; p < 0.001) (Table 3).

TABLE 3.

Pearson correlation matrix.

1 2 3 4 5 6
1. DBAS‐16 total score 1
2. DBAS‐16 consequences 0.76*** 1
3. DBAS‐16 worry helplessness 0.89*** 0.56*** 1
4. DBAS‐16 expectations 0.84*** 0.52*** 0.65*** 1
5. DBAS‐16 medication 0.79*** 0.47*** 0.60*** 0.59*** 1
6. PHQ‐4 total 0.23*** 0.15*** 0.21*** 0.19*** 0.18*** 1
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4. Discussion

The university years are a pivotal time in students' lives, characterized by profound shifts in social dynamics, academic obligations, and personal development, often linked to sleep disturbances (Becker et al. 2018). Importantly, cognitive factors such as maladaptive sleep beliefs are remarkable in this age group, as this period is marked by ongoing cognitive and behavioral pattern formation. Consequently, evaluating sleep‐related cognitions in university students provides a valuable opportunity to identify early cognitive risk factors for sleep disturbances and to validate psychometric tools in a population where dysfunctional sleep beliefs are both prevalent and clinically meaningful (Crönlein et al. 2014). Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Arabic‐translated version of the DBAS‐16 in a large sample of college students and to provide evidence supporting its structural validity, reliability, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity. Findings provide robust proof supporting the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the DBAS‐16.

Construct validity showed that the four‐factor model demonstrated good fit indices. These results imply that among Egyptian university students, the Arabic DBAS‐16 accurately assesses the four aspects of dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes toward sleep: the effects of insomnia, anxiety about sleep, expectations for sleep, and medicine used. This structure demonstrates the cross‐cultural applicability and consistency of the scale by closely aligning with the original English (Morin et al. 2007) version and the Turkish version (Boysan et al. 2010) of the DBAS‐16. Because the present study aimed to validate an established instrument with a previously supported theoretical structure, confirmatory factor analysis was considered the most appropriate approach to evaluate whether the original four‐factor model could be replicated in the Arabic version.

Item‐level analyses provided additional insight into the performance of the Arabic DBAS‐16. Most items demonstrated satisfactory corrected item‐total correlations, although DBAS‐16 showed a comparatively weak association with the overall scale. In addition, several items exhibited ceiling effects, whereas BDAS‐16 demonstrated a pronounced floor effect. These findings suggest that certain items may have reduced discrimination ability within this university sample. Nevertheless, because the overall factor structure, total‐scale reliability, and model fit remained satisfactory, all items were retained to preserve consistency with the original DBAS‐16. Although most items demonstrated satisfactory standardized factor loadings, DBAS‐16 exhibited a relatively low loading (0.30) and the lowest corrected item‐total correlation, suggesting that it may be a comparatively weaker indicator of the Consequences factor in this sample. Nevertheless, because the overall model fit, internal consistency, and conceptual structure of the Arabic DBAS‐16 remained satisfactory, and to preserve consistency with the original instrument, all items were retained. Future studies should further evaluate the performance of this item in independent Arabic‐speaking populations.

The Arabic version of the DBAS‐16 demonstrated good internal consistency at the total‐score level, as evidenced by high McDonald's ω (0.87) and Cronbach's α (0.86). However, some subscales showed only marginal internal consistency, with reliability coefficients below the conventional threshold of 0.70. This finding should be interpreted in light of the relatively small number of items comprising these subscales, which can reduce internal consistency estimates. Nevertheless, the overall pattern of reliability was comparable to that reported in previous validations of the DBAS‐16 in other languages.

The internal consistency findings align with those from the Iranian study (α = 0.90) (Vand et al. 2017), Turkish study (α = 0.82) (Boysan et al. 2010), Moroccan study (α = 0.77) (Abdelilah, Ibtissam, Abdelhalem, Ali, Aboubaker, Samira, Najat, and Zouhayr 2024a), Canadian study where the original scale was developed (α = 0.77–0.79) (Morin et al. 2007), and the German version (α = 0.58–0.77) (Lan et al. 2017). Overall, our findings strengthen confidence in the scale's internal structure and suggest that the Arabic DBAS‐16 items measure a coherent construct.

Additionally, this study demonstrated metric and scalar invariance across genders, indicating that the Arabic version of the DBAS‐16 measures the four‐factor construct in a similar way in both male and female students and for comparing their mean scores across the four subscales. The absence of significant gender differences in total DBAS‐16 scores further supports the conclusion that dysfunctional sleep beliefs are similarly distributed across male and female university students and is consistent with previous research by Vand et al. (2017) (Vand et al. 2017), which found no significant differences in DBAS‐16 total scores between males and females in an Iranian clinical population. A possible explanation for this outcome could be the common stressors and lifestyle factors that male and female students experience, such as academic requirements, peer pressure, and irregular sleep schedules. Male and female students may be influenced by these factors, resulting in similar beliefs and opinions about sleep. The university environment, with its stressors and lifestyle patterns, may create an environment where gender differences in sleep beliefs are minimized, resulting in no significant difference on the DBAS scale (Humphries et al. 2022; Alotaibi et al. 2020). Together, these results demonstrate the reliability of the Arabic version of the DBAS‐16 in a variety of cultural instances and validate its robustness and usefulness for cross‐gender use (Vand et al. 2017).The DBAS‐16's overall score was correlated with the PHQ‐4 for measuring anxiety and depression in order to determine the test's concurrent validity. The Arabic version of the DBAS‐16 demonstrated evidence of concurrent validity, as higher levels of dysfunctional sleep beliefs were significantly associated with higher psychological distress. Although the observed association with psychological distress was modest, it was statistically significant and theoretically consistent, as psychological distress represents a related but distinct construct rather than a direct measure of sleep‐related cognition. These findings are consistent with cognitive models of insomnia, which propose that emotional dysregulation and a decrease in adaptive coping mechanisms are caused by maladaptive sleep beliefs. Improvements in psychological distress and insomnia severity were found to be significantly mediated by reductions in dysfunctional beliefs about sleep during digital cognitive behavioral therapy, according to a large randomized trial. This suggests that improvements in cognitive function are crucial for mental health outcomes (Faaland et al. 2023). Maladaptive behavioral responses and psychological distress have been correlated with dysfunctional beliefs as determined by the DBAS‐1612. Deeper dysfunctional sleep beliefs have also been linked to higher levels of anxiety and mood disorders, according to previous research (Morin et al. 1993). Furthermore, these results imply that dysfunctional sleep beliefs are active cognitive processes affecting emotional and psychological functioning rather than being passive reflections of sleep disorder.

4.1. Clinical Implications

The availability of a validated Arabic version of the DBAS‐16 can help clinicians identify maladaptive sleep‐related mental patterns that contribute to sleep disturbances among different demographic groups across diverse healthcare settings. Early recognition of these dysfunctional beliefs makes it easier to develop targeted therapies, such as cognitive‐behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT‐I), which seeks to redefine negative assumptions about sleep. Healthcare professionals can use this tool to provide Evidence‐Based recommendations that promote better sleep hygiene and reduce the risk of burnout. Additionally, the DBAS‐16 can be used in workplace health initiatives to help develop interventions for shift workers that address sleep issues and reduce the risk of burnout, improving clinical outcomes and staff well‐being. Furthermore, because dysfunctional sleep beliefs are linked to psychological distress, the scale may assist physicians in quickly identifying those who are more psychologically vulnerable so that preventive interventions can be put in place before sleep difficulties become chronic.

5. Limitations

Selection bias may have been introduced because the young adult students in our sample had a mean age of 20.38 years. The sample was also gender‐skewed, with 422 females and 246 males, which may have limited the findings' representativeness and generalizability. Furthermore, because participants were recruited from a single nursing faculty at one Egyptian university using convenience sampling, there are inherent concerns regarding skewed assessments. Therefore, the generalizability of our results is limited to this specific demographic; and conclusions drawn from this study cannot be generalized to all Arabic‐speaking populations or broader student group. Although the present study provided evidence for structural validity, internal consistency, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity, several psychometric properties were not evaluated. Specifically, test‐retest reliability, criterion validity, known‐groups validity, measurement error, and responsiveness were beyond the scope of this cross‐sectional study. In addition, although concurrent validity was examined using psychological distress, more direct sleep‐related constructs (e.g., insomnia severity, sleep quality, or sleep hygiene) were not available; therefore, convergent validity could not be comprehensively evaluated. Future studies should address these psychometric properties to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the Arabic DBAS‐16. Furthermore, although the total DBAS‐16 demonstrated good internal consistency, several subscales showed only margined reliability. Therefore, these subscales scores should be interpreted with caution, and future studies should further evaluate their reliability in independent Arabic‐speaking samples. Additionally, as every measure was self‐reported, response bias and social desirability effects may have occurred. Future research should recruit participants from a variety of Arab countries, involve individuals from a range of age ranges, and aim for equal gender representation. In order to enhance the generalizability of the results, invariance among other important groups (clinical vs. non‐clinical samples, cultural subgroups, or various Arabic countries) needs to be examined, even if measurement invariance across gender was established.

6. Conclusion

This study, which included a sample of university nursing students, successfully validated the Arabic version of the DBAS‐16. These results confirm that the scale is appropriate for measuring dysfunctional sleep beliefs in Arabic‐speaking populations, especially in this population group, in a brief and reliable manner. This scale may help identify possible targets for psychological therapies as well as research on cognitive factors underlying sleep disturbances by enabling accurate assessment of maladaptive sleep cognitions. Validation efforts should be expanded to include clinical populations, a range of age groups, and longitudinal designs in future research.

Author Contributions

Rasha Salah Eweida: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, project administration, supervision, methodology, validation, visualization. Simona Abou Tayeh: writing – original draft, writing – review and editing, Validation, Visualization. Feten Fekih‐Romdhane: validation, visualization, writing – review and editing. Sahar Obeid: validation, visualization, writing – review and editing. Alaa Eldin Moustafa Hamed: validation, writing – review and editing, resources, project administration. Dina Metwally Sorour: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, project administration, supervision, methodology, validation, visualization, writing – review and editing. Souheil Hallit: conceptualization, formal analysis, methodology, validation, visualization, writing – review and editing, writing – original draft.

Funding

The authors have nothing to report.

Ethics Statement

Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Nursing, Helwan University (approval number: IRB: HU257/2024). All procedures followed the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary and anonymous and participants could withdraw at any time without consequence.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Supporting information

Table S1: Item‐level descriptive statistics, corrected item‐total correlations, and floor and ceiling effects of the Arabic DBAS‐16.

MPR-35-e70103-s001.docx (15.8KB, docx)

Acknowledgments

The researchers are grateful to the nursing students who participated in this study.

Contributor Information

Rasha Salah Eweida, Email: reweida@uob.edu.bh.

Souheil Hallit, Email: souheilhallit@usek.edu.lb.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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Associated Data

This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

Supplementary Materials

Table S1: Item‐level descriptive statistics, corrected item‐total correlations, and floor and ceiling effects of the Arabic DBAS‐16.

MPR-35-e70103-s001.docx (15.8KB, docx)

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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