# Translation, cultural adaptation, and psychometric validation of the Arabic version of the Digital Life Balance Scale in an Arabic-speaking university student sample

## TL;DR

This study translated and validated the Arabic version of a scale to measure digital life balance among university students.

## Contribution

The study provides a culturally adapted and psychometrically validated Arabic version of the Digital Life Balance Scale.

## Key findings

- The Arabic DLB Scale showed a one-factor structure and strong internal consistency.
- DLB scores were negatively correlated with digital stress subscales like Connection Overload.
- The study confirms partial convergent validity of the DLB Scale in Arabic-speaking students.

## Abstract

The increasing integration of digital technologies into daily life has underscored the need for valid instruments to assess individuals’ ability to maintain a balanced engagement between online and offline activities within Arabic-speaking university student samples. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Digital Life Balance (DLB) Scale among Arab university students.

A total of 769 students participated (Saudi Arabia = 261; Yemen = 311; Egypt = 197). The scale was translated into Arabic, and its linguistic and cultural equivalence was established through expert evaluation using the Delphi technique. Convergent validity was examined using three subscales of the Arabic Digital Stress Scale (DSS-A)—Fear of Missing Out, Connection Overload, and Online Vigilance.

Confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-factor structure of the DLB Scale in the pooled Arabic-speaking sample, indicating clear construct validity. The DLB Scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .87; McDonald’s ω = .80; Composite Reliability = .89). Small but significant negative correlations were found between DLB scores and Fear of Missing Out (r = −.10, p = .006) and Connection Overload (r = −.15, p < .001), whereas the association with Online Vigilance was negative but not statistically significant (r = −.07, p = .060).

Taken together, these findings provide evidence for the reliability and factor structure of the Arabic version of the DLB Scale, with partial support for convergent validity, within the studied Arabic-speaking university student sample.