Psychometric properties of the Morningness/Eveningness scale for children among Uruguayan adolescents: the role of school start times

ABSTRACT

Morningness/Eveningness (M/E) is an attribute related to adolescent mental and physical health. The Morningness/Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) is a widely used instrument for measuring M/E in adolescents. In this study, an Spanish translation of the MESC was adapted to the Río de la Plata population. A psychometric study was carried out in a sample of 368 Uruguayan adolescents (63.6% females), between 15 and 18 years old, who attended to either a morning (7:30 AM to 11:30 AM) or an afternoon school shift (11:30 AM to 3:30 PM). The scale showed good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.74), high temporal stability (r = 0.86, p < 0.001), good concurrent validity with mid-sleep point (r = −0.42, p < 0.001), and a two-factor solution. No difference in scores was observed between sexes or age groups. However, scores were different between school shifts, which proved to be a useful tool to study social influences on the circadian preferences. This study shows that MESC is a reliable and valid instrument for M/E assessment in adolescents, but social pressures should be considered when employing this score.

KEYWORDS:

• Morningness/eveningness
• adolescence
• school shift
• validation
• chronotypes

Acknowledgments

The author is very grateful with the community of Liceo 10 and Liceo 63, Montevideo, Uruguay. This work was supported by Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas, Uruguay; Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación, Uruguay, under Grant POS_NAC_2015_1_109643; and Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica, Universidad de la República, Uruguay, under Grant Iniciación 2017 #361.

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflict of interest

Notes

i. The modified expressions were: Liceo to replace Colegio; Horrible instead of Fatal.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas, Uruguay; Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica, Universidad de la República, Uruguay [Iniciación 2017 #361]; Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación, Uruguay [POS_NAC_2015_1_109643].