The Role of Chronotypical Factors in Mental Health and Academic Performance of University Students in Faisalabad

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1 ORIGINAL ARTICLE The Role of Chronotypical Factors in Mental Heal and Academic Performance of University Students in Faisalabad Rabia Khawar, Attia Sultana, Rabia Maryam, Muhammad Usman Khawar, Rizwana Amin ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To assess e impact of chronotypes on mental heal and academic performance of university students. STUDY DESIGN: A quantitative study using correlational design. PLACE AND DURATION: At Department of Applied Psychology, GC University Faisalabad from September to August METHODOLOGY: A sample of 00 university students (50% females; 50% males), wi e age range of 0 5 years, was drawn from public sector universities of Faisalabad. Morningness- Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and General Heal Questionnaire 8 (GHQ- 8) were administered to e participants. Additionally, academic performance was assessed rough students' attendance record and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of last two semesters. The information was cross-checked wi e concerned department's examination incharge. RESULTS: Proportion of evening type students (58%) was greater an morning types (4%). Correlation analysis showed a significant association between eveningness and total scores on GHQ-8 (r = -.15, p <.05 ). Academic performance was not significantly correlated wi MEQ and GHQ total scores. Later, regression analysis indicated at lower scores on MEQ significantly predicted poorer mental heal especially social dysfunctioning. Moreover depression and anxiety/insomnia significantly predicted lower grades. According to e t-test results, even oriented students reported more somatic symptoms (p <.01) and experienced higher level of anxiety (p <.05) as compared to morning types. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of diurnal preferences have certain implications for understanding e factors behind mental heal problems and academic performance of university students. Results are discussed for self-regulatory behaviors of university students. KEY WORDS: Morningness, Eveningness, Diurnal Preferences, Mental Heal, Academic Performance, Chronotypes. HOW TO CITE THIS: Khawar R, Sultana A, Maryam R, Khawar MU, Amin R. The Role of Chronotypical Factors in Mental Heal and Academic Performance of University Students in Faisalabad. Isra Med J. 017; 9(5): This is an Open Access article distributed under e terms of e Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License ( which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided e original work is properly cited. INTRODUCTION Researchers have been enormously interested in individual typology (chronotype), as a system to know e temporal organization of e regulatory processes of e body. Chronotype is a characteristic of humans at reveals eir 1 specific circadian phase. Not only e quantity of sleep, but also e timings are considered to play an important role in sufficient 1. Assistant Professor. Student 3. Lecturer Department of Applied Psychology GC University Faisalabad 4. Medical Officer, RHC, Domeli, Jehlam. 5. Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan Correspondence to: Rabia Khawar Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology, GC University, Faisalabad. rabiakhawar@gcuf.edu.pk Received for Publication: Accepted for Publication: daytime performance. The sleep-wake cycle is a circadian rhym, which is spontaneously generated by e organism, wi a periodicity, of about 4 hours. There are inter-individual differences wi regard to sleep-wake cycle. Morningnesseveningness is an aspect at pertains to e individual variances in diurnal inclinations, sleep-wake pattern for activity, 3 and attentiveness in e morning and evening. People wi comparatively early circadian rhyms are named as morningtypes (M-types), and individuals having fairly late circadian 4 rhyms are called evening-types (E-types). Proneness to psychological problems and psychopaologies has been found to be related wi morningness-eveningness 5-6 preferences. Studied have shown differences in heal impairing behaviors across chronotypes. While eveningness is related more wi heal-impairing behaviors, morningness tends to be linked wi heal-improving behaviors, including 7-8 physical activity in adolescents. Recently, relationship between evening type and presence of common mental disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety etc) has been found among 6 college students. Morningness has been reported to be positively correlated wi positive mood and subjective wellbeing across different age groups including bo younger and 9 older adults. As ere are several undesirable outcomes associated wi eveningness orientation, differences in circadian rhymicity 39

2 are also ought to be a considerable factor determining interindividual differences in fatigue and cognitive performance. Thus, it is reasonable to suppose at ose university students who develop such sleep patterns may experience academic and 1 0 psychological consequences. Many studies have demonstrated at people wi a proclivity towards eveningness are more likely to exhibit characteristics at are 11 negatively related to academic achievement. Díaz-Morales and Escribano found morningness-eveningness as a significant predictor of academic achievement of high school students and 1 eveningness was associated wi lower CGPAs. One of e Pakistani studies has also supported e direct impact of diurnal preferences on academic performance among medical 13 students. Despite e evidence for link between chronotypes and healimpairing behaviors among adolescents, e aspect has not been well explored in Pakistan. None of e Pakistani researchers have documented morningness/eveningness preferences among university students. Recent transitions in life styles has affected diurnal inclinations of you at are important to be investigated for identifying e potential harms and benfits associated wi ese preferences. The present study was erefore designed to check e relationship of morningness eveningness preference wi mental heal and academic achievement of university students in Faisalabad. It also intended to indentify students' preference for a specific orientation. Eveningness orientation was assumed to be a predictor of depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, social dysfunction and studentss' poor academic performance. Individual differences in mental heal were also assessed across groups categorized as morning and evening types. This study was conducted to assess e impact of chronotypes on mental heal and academic performance of university students METHODOLOGY It was a quantitative study at followed correlational research design by assuming associations among different study variables and discovering potential predictors for e outcome variables. Later, morning and evening oriented groups were compared for eir mental heal. The study was conducted at e Department of Applied Psychology, Government College University Faisalabad from September to August A sample of 00 students was drawn from two public sector Universities of Faisalabad (GC University Faisalabad and University of Agriculture Faisalabad) wi an equal proportion of males (n = 100) and females (n = 100). The age range of e participants was 0-5 years (M = 1.58; SD = 1.51). Convenient sampling technique was used for e selection of research participants. Students of BS Honors and Masters, who had completed at least two semesters in e university, qualified e inclusion criteria of e study. Students wi physical disabilities, chronic physical or mental heal issues were excluded from e study. Following measures were used in e study. 14 The Horne-Ostberg Morningness Eveningness Scale is an effective measure to differentiate between chronotypes; morning and evening types. The total scores range from 16 to 86, and people scoring less an 53 could be categorized as extreme evening types (scores under 53). Those scoring greater an 64 could be classified as extreme morning types, whereas people obtaining scores from 53 to 64 could be named as intermediate. Dichotomous classification is also used by researchers. Questions point to e personal preferences for sleep and wake timings, for examples: ''Considering only your own 'feeling best' rhym, at what time would you get up if you were entirely free to plan your own day?'' The respondents are instructed to choose a time between e hours of 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 15 General Heal Questionnaire-8 (GHQ-8) was administered for studying e psychological problems of university students. It asses e current mental heal of participants including 4 subscales: somatic symptoms, anxiety symptoms, social functioning and depressive symptoms. Different versions of GHQ are available, yet we used GHQ-8 due to its preciseness. A higher global GHQ score is indicative of poor heal and psychopaological symptoms, whereas lower scores represent better mental heal and wellbeing. Bo of e measures, Morningness/Eveningness Scale and GHQ-8) have yielded high estimates of reliability and validity 16, 17 across different age groups. Grade Point Averages of two consecutive semesters were obtained. The students provided copies of result notifications indicating e Cumulative GPAs. Repeat cases were excluded from e study. An average of two semesters' attendance percentage was also obtained from e concerned auorities. The data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 16 for windows. Percentages are reported for diurnal prefernces of e students and later evaluated using chi square test. Relationships among variables were assessed rough Perason Product Moment Correlation followed by regression analysis to check e predictors. Mean differences between groups were observed rough t-test for independent samples. Eical approval: The study was approved from e Departmental Board of Studies, GC University Faisalabad. Eical issues pertaining to privacy of information and right to widraw were taken under consideration. RESULTS The students (N=00) were classified as morning or evening type (M-type or E-type) based on e scores of MEQ. This classification provided an estimate of eir diurnal preference. The preference was also evaluated across gender and students' residential status (hostel/home) as well. A larger proportion of students (n = 116; 58%) showed eveningness orientation an morningness preference (n = 84; 4%). The trend was similar across male and female students as 43% males and 41% females were found to be M-types while 57% males and 59 % females were reported to be E-types. Chi square analysis also confirmed an equal distribution of dichotomies across gender, χ (1) =.08, p = ns. Furermore students living at home (n = 110) and residing in hostels (n = 90) were evaluated for distribution of M-E 330

3 categories. Around 5% of students living at home were classified as E-types while 48% were identified as M-types. Majority of e students living in hostels were evening types (65.1%) while few were found to be morning types (34.9%). Chi square analysis revealed at is difference was statistically significant, χ (1) = 3.85, p <.05. TABLE-I: CORRELATIONS AMONG STUDY VARIABLES (N = 00) Pearson product moment correlation was used to identify e relationship among total scores of study variables. Furer, regression analysis was conducted to discover e possible predictors and hence e subscales of GHQ were also evaluated. *p <.05; ***p <.001. CGPA = Cumulative Grade Point Averages, GHQ = General Heal Questionnaire; MEQ = Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire, Att = Attendance Percentage Correlations between total scores of M-E and GHQ showed significant yet inverse relationship. Since high scores on MEQ represent greater morningness orientation, e results reflect at morningness is associated wi lesser symptoms of psychopaology. Unexpectedly, no significant relationship was found between MEQ and GPA. GPA and scores on GHQ were also found unrelated. Attendance percentage was typically found to be significantly related wi academic grades. TABLE- II: REGRESSION ANALYSIS FOR MEQ SCORE AS PREDICTOR OF GHQ-8 TOTAL SCORE AND THE SUBSCALES (N = 00) Regression analysis indicated at low scores on MEQ significantly predicted GHQ total, β = -.15; t (198) = -.16, p <.05, accounting for.3% variance. It also significantly predicted scores on social dys-functioning subscale of GHQ, β = -.15; t (198) = -.13, p <.05, and again accounted for.3% variance in e model. MEQ scores did not prove to be a significant predictor of somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia and depression subscales of GHQ. TABLE- III: REGRESSION ANALYSIS PREDICTING ACDEMIC PERFORMANCE FROM GHQ-8 SUBSCALES (N = 00) Regression for subscales of GHQ-8 (Table III) revealed at GPA was better anticipated rough Anxiety/Insomnia while Depressive symptom predicted lower grades (F (198) = -.99, p <.05), accounting for almost 6% variance. TABLE IV: COMPARISON BETWEEN MORNING ORIENTED (N = 84) AND EVENING ORIENTED (N=116) UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ON GHQ GLOBAL AND SUBSCALES (N = 00) df = 198 Dichotomous categorization of MEQ was also evaluated and hence significant differences were found as evening-oriented students obtained higher scores on GHQ, t (198) = -.69, p <.01; and two of its subscales i.e. Somatic Symptoms; t (198) = -.8, p <.01; Anxiety Insomnia, t (198) = -.5, p <.01. Morning oriented as compared wi morning oriented students did not differ from evening oriented students on two subscales of GHQ i.e. Social Dysfunctioning, t (198) = -1.8, p = ns, and Depression, t (198) = - 1.6, p = ns. Lastly, gender differences were evaluated using t- test at showed non-significant differences on dependent variables i.e. GHQ, t (198) = -.96, p = ns; and MEQ, t (198) = -.68, p = ns. 331

4 DISCUSSION This study aimed to investigate e role of chronotypes in psychological/mental heal of university students and students' academic achievement. The results demonstrated at when classified dichotomously, evening type people used to be numerous as compared to morning types and ese 18 findings are consistent wi e studies of M-E in you. This tendency among university students could be attributed to certain factors including recent changes in routine activities, residing at home or hostel, social networking rough cyber technology, availability and exposure to smart technology and devices and schedule of classes, genetics and even e season of 19-0 bir. Among ese factors, boarding place were included in e present study. Findings showed at most of e students living in hostels were evening types. While living at home, sleepwake timings are monitored by e parents to some extent which is not e case wi hostel students. Circadian typology did not differ across gender as boys and girls showed similar preferences, a finding at is raer controversial. Some earlier 1 studies have reported girls as more morning types an boys, while a few reported e vice versa. There still exists e research which is consistent wi e findings of present study and demonstrated no significant gender differences in 3 chronotypes. Results of correlation analysis demonstrated at total score on GHQ-8 yielded significant inverse relationship wi MEQ scores, suggesting eveningness orientation to be related wi poor mental heal and morningness wi psychological well being. Findinghs are an affirmation of e existing literature. While eveningness has been considered as a risk factor for 4 mental and physical heal morningness has not only been 9 positively linked to subjective well-being among healy adults, but also associated wi quality of life in chronic stress 5 conditions. Academic performance was not found to be significantly correlated wi chronotypes and overall mental heal of university students. Alough studies have reported 3 morningness to be associated wi higher grades but most of ese findings had been derived from adolescent sample drawn from schools and colleges raer an universities. Regression analysis revealed at MEQ scores significantly predicted GHQ-8 total scores and only one of its subscales: social dysfunctioning. Results are in line wi e prior findings 6 on predictive role of diurnal preferences in mental heal, however non significant regression results for depression, anxiety and somatic compaliants are somewhat incongruous to e previous evidence. Furer, two subscales of e GHQ-8 subscales: anxiety/insomnia and depression significantly predicted grade point averages. Bo foreign and indigenous research has suggested at anxiety and depression could cause 7-8 underachievement in students at all levels. MEQ scores were not significantly correlated wi CGPA and attendance, erefore were not included in regression. However, since chronotypes were significantly correlated wi mental heal, it could be suggested at morningness/eveningness may influence academic performance indirectly. Additional information on sleep-wake patterns, quality of sleep, sleep problems and quality of social relationships could provide an in dep account of e association between chronotypical factors and mental heal of students. The present study also confirmed e impact of chronotypes on mental heal by comparing M-type and E-type students using t-test for independent samples. Bo groups significantly differed on GHQ total indicating at overall mental heal is adversely affected by eveningness preference. Additionally, e differences were also evident for two of e subscales. E-types reported more somatic symptoms an M-types. This suggests at physical heal of evening oriented people could suffer and Thu put em at risk of illness. Somatic heal is an important 7-9 factor at has been linked to chronotypes. This could be furer related to certain aspects such as dietary intake, body mass index (BMI), smoking behavior etc. More insight could be brought about by investigating e activities and habits of M- types and E-types which ey perform rough out of e day. Evening type students also experienced more symptoms of anxiety/insomnia as compared to morning types. The subscale explores e tension, apprehensions, irritability related to sleep and day time activity and e temperament. The results are in line wi e extant literature as greater proportions of evening 30 types have been found in e high anxiety groups. Alough earlier researches have shown e relationship between 31-3 eveningness and levels of depression, however, e present study could not confirm e association. Findings offer an insight to e students to maintain healier schedules and exercise better self-regulation skills for improving mental heal and academic grades. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge of diurnal preferences have certain implications for understanding e factors behind mental heal problems and academic performance of university students. Results are discussed for self-regulatory behaviors of university students. Limitations and Recommendations Sample size was small and limited to university students at represents early adulood period wi little variation (SD age = 1.5). Age as a correlate might bring more meaningful results if middle and older adults would be included in e sample. Furer aspects of chronopsychological research can help to understand e relatively unexplored determinants of healimpairing behaviors in young adults. CONTRIBUTION OF AUTHORS: Khawar R: Concieved e Idea, Designed e research, Statistical analysis, Proof Reading, Sulatan A: Data Collection, Writing manuscript Maryam R: Concieved e Idea, Designed e research Khawar MU: Writing manuscript, Proof reading Amin R: Statistical analysis. Disclaimer: None. Conflict of Interest: None. Source of Funding: None 33

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