Background:

Insomnia is the most frequent sleep disturbance in the adult population and, in recent years, it has been highlighted as an important public health problem. Empirical evidence suggests that insomnia is related to mental and physical health problems. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and intervene in this problem and have practical and reliable instruments for its evaluation.

Objectives:

To analyze the psychometric properties of the short version of the Athens insomnia scale in Peruvian adults.

Method:

Three hundred sixty-seven (367) Peruvian adults selected by convenience sampling and inclusion criteria participated in the study. Based on the classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT), the sources of validity evidence of the instrument were analyzed.

Results:

Sixty-five point nine percent (65.9%) of the study population indicated that they had difficulty sleeping during the last month. The scale evidences a one-dimensional structure, acceptable reliability, invariance according to sex and moderate relationship with another variable. Likewise, parameters a and b were acceptable, and the resulting scale was more accurate at high levels of insomnia.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that the scale presents adequate psychometric evidence, and its use is recommended to evaluate insomnia in the Peruvian adult population.