The reduced Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and related factors in a young Swedish population

Jan 8, 2019Chronobiology international

The shortened Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire: reliability and related factors in young people from Sweden

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Abstract

A response rate of 68% was achieved from 1000 young Swedish participants aged 16-26 in assessing chronotype using the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ).

The rMEQ identified a single factor solution in a parallel analysis.
Inter-item correlations within the rMEQ ranged from 0.08 to 0.46.
Cronbach's alpha for the rMEQ was 0.68, indicating moderate reliability.
Lower rMEQ scores (indicating eveningness) were associated with later bedtimes and difficulties waking up.
Factors correlated with lower rMEQ scores included being male, not engaging in educational activities or work, nicotine use, younger age, and higher insomnia and depression scores.
The rMEQ demonstrated adequate validity based on strong correlations with sleep-related questions.

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During puberty, there is a delay in sleep patterns and the circadian clock, and the prevalence of sleep difficulties is high among young adults. Thus, it is important to be able to measure chronotype (CT) in this group, both in the clinic and for broader epidemiological studies, to better understand the sleep difficulties observed. The reduced version of one of the most widely used questionnaire to measure CT, the Horne & Östberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), has been developed and validated in many languages. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the Swedish reduced MEQ (rMEQ) and to investigate factors correlated with rMEQ scores in a random sample of young Swedish participants. We sent the rMEQ, sleep questions, demographic questions, the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D) to 1000 randomly selected individuals aged 16-26 years in Uppsala, Sweden (response rate = 68%). A parallel analysis of the rMEQ revealed a single factor solution. Inter-item correlations within the questionnaire were between 0.08 and 0.46. One of the rMEQ items displayed weak correlations with the other questions. Cronbach's alpha of the rMEQ was 0.68. Low rMEQ scores (eveningness) were correlated with more frequent late bedtimes and difficulties getting up in the morning. Lower rMEQ scores were significantly related to male sex, no educational activity or work, nicotine use, younger age, and higher ISI and HADS-D scores. Even though the inter-item correlations of the rMEQ were very low to moderate, the rMEQ had a Cronbach's alpha not far off from acceptable levels, and the strong correlations of the rMEQ scores with responses to the sleep questions indicated that the rMEQ had an adequate validity. To conclude, the rMEQ can be used to effectively estimate CT when a short questionnaire is required; however, caution should be taken when interpreting the results considering the reliability of the questionnaire.

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The reduced Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and related factors in a young Swedish population

Abstract

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