Abstract :
Background and Objective: The optimal method of predicting mental health is the investigation of individual differences, such as identification of morning-evening types. The present study examined the relationship between components of morning-evening types, using the four components of mental health, in a group of students. Materials and Methods: The population of this descriptive cross-sectional study was all undergraduate students at the University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran. The participants (N = 341) were selected from this population via stratified random sampling, and they were evaluated using the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). To analyze the data, the Pearson correlation coefficient and canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were applied. Results: The canonical redundancy analysis showed that the first canonical function was statistically significant (R² = 0.205, P 0.0001). The canonical weights showed that the order of contribution of independent variables to the first variate was morning affect (-0.921) and activity planning (-0.162), and the order of contribution of dependent variables was anxiety/insomnia (0.488), severe depression (0.350), somatic symptoms (0.198), and social dysfunction (0.179). Conclusion: This study showed the importance of morning-evening types as the predictor of mental health and its dimensions. Therefore, it is recommended that the morningness-eveningness preferences of people be considered in clinical interviews and diagnosis.
