Translation and validation of sleep questionnaires in Jordanian and Qatari athletes

To translate two prominent sleep questionnaires, the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire 10 (FOSQ-10) and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI), into Arabic.

The translations adhered to the established international criteria and underwent subsequent validation among 130 Arabic-speaking athletes from Jordan and Qatar. The validation process involved comparison against existing Arabic sleep questionnaires to ensure linguistic and cultural appropriateness.

Of the 130 participants, 70 completed the test-retest for FOSQ and 58 the test-retest for the SHI. The internal consistency reliability was excellent for the Arabic FOSQ-10 (0.824) and the Arabic SHI (0.892). The assessment of test-retest reliability of the total score for both measures showed that the Arabic FOSQ-10 had moderate reliability (ICC = 0.468, 95% CI = 0.263–0.633), whereas the Arabic SHI had excellent reliability (ICC = 0.952, 95% CI = 0.921–0.972). Both newly developed Arabic sleep measures had significant associations with almost all other established Arabic sleep questionnaires, indicating good validity. Exploratory factor analysis identified 5 factors for FOSQ and 3 factors for SHI, with significant loadings indicating distinct domains related to sleepiness, tiredness, discomfort, behavior, and sleep patterns. Confirmator factor analysuis confirmed these factors for both FOSQ and SHI, though the RMSEA values (0.132 for FOSQ and 0.171 for SHI).

the Arabic FOSQ-10 and the Arabic SHI were established and showed satisfactory reliability and validity in athletes. Further studies are needed to validate those measures in Arabic clinical populations.