The Development and Validation of The Arabic Scale of Insomnia (ASI)

P with sleep are commonplace in modern societies. Sleep disorders have been reported to be associated with health problems (1,2), and it is now evident that disturbance in sleep can lead to adverse changes in the functioning of a number of body systems (3). Moreover, there is epidemiologic evidence that sleep disorders may be a risk factor for total mortality (4,5). By the same token, epidemiological, crosssectional, and longitudinal data suggest a high rate of comorbidity between sleep disturbance and psychopathology, particularly between insomnia, anxiety, and depression (6). There are more than 70 sleep disorders (7), and insomnia is the single most frequently reported sleep complaint (8). Using the DSM-III-R and ICD-10 psychiatric disorders criteria in a Spanish population of 18-year olds, it was found that insomnia was on the top of the list of the most common disorders (9). Following a similar pattern, The Development and Validation of The Arabic Scale of Insomnia (ASI)