Development and validation of a French version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to validate a French version (FMEQ) of the morningness–eveningness questionnaire (MEQ). Study 1 consisted of a translation by experts and an evaluation. The FMEQ and MEQ were proposed to 19 bilingual participants (age = 38.7 ± 13.7 years). Strong correlations between MEQ and FMEQ were obtained for most items. Study 2 tested the factorial structure and reliability of the FMEQ on a sample of 187 participants (20.46 ± 1.31 years). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the model had a good fit (χ²/df = 1.8; SRMR = 0.057) and a good reliability (Cronbach’s alphas = 0.8). Concerning the temporal stability (20 participants: 20.48 ± 1.04 years), the Pearson r correlation coefficient for test–retest reliability was 0.87 (p < 0.001). Study 3 examined the predictive validity with 42 participants (19.52 ± 2.08 years). The global score of the FMEQ was significantly correlated with the time of peak temperature, wake-up time and bedtime. We did not observe superiority of a three-factors solution of the FMEQ. From now on, French subjects chronotype could be rigorously scored, and results from MEQ and FMEQ could be compared.

KEYWORDS:

• Chronotype
• circadian rhythms
• diurnal preference
• factor analysis
• transcultural validation

Acknowledgments

We thank Elodie Parisse and Denis Guézais for their participation in the translation phase of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.