Abstract

Objective: Chronotype refers to the time of the day that a person’s physical and cognitive functions are active. Simply this is a circadian phase preference of a person. While some of the people are morning active (so called larks ) others are more active at nights (The owls). The study of circadian rhythms, known as chronobiology, is all about the metabolic and psychiatric differences between people who have different chronotypes. A few tests are used to determine chronotypes. The CCTQ (Children’s Chronotype Questionnaire) is a parent-report, 27-item mixed format questionnaire measuring chronotype of children in multiple domains : the midsleep point on free days (MSF), a morningness/eveningness scale(M/E) score, and a five-point chronotype (CT) score. 

The aim of this study is adapting Children’s Chronotype Questionnaire (CCTQ) into Turkish language and validating the instrument in Turkish population.

Materials and Methods: 101 children aged nine through eighteen constitude the sample of the study. The sample was composed of clinical (n=51) and community groups (n=50). CCTQ and Morningness Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) questionnaires were applied to children and parents, then the CCTQ and MESC scores were compared to examine the validity of CCTQ.

Results: The internal consistency and external validity of the Turkish CCTQ was sufficient to compare MESC-Turkish. As a result of this research carried out in accordance with methodological research principles, correlation between the M/E scores of CCTQ and MESC was significant.

Conclusion: The Turkish version of CCTQ has been found to be valid and reliable in Turkish children.