SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Ergoterapi ve Rehabilitasyon Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 14 Sayı: 1

Investigation of Health Sciences Students' Physical Activity Level, Depression Level, Cognitive Errors, and Academic Achievement According to Chronotype

Sağlık Bilimleri Öğrencilerinin Fiziksel Aktivite Düzeyi, Depresyon Düzeyi, Bilişsel Hataları ve Akademik Başarılarının Kronotipe Göre İncelenmesi

Bihter Akınoğlu(Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Fizyoterapi ve Rehabilitasyon Bölümü)0000-0002-8214-7895
Akif Arda Sari(Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Fizyoterapi ve Rehabilitasyon Bölümü)0009-0008-7550-4488
Ayfer Ezgi Yılmaz Çakıroğlu(Hacettepe Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi İstatistik Bölümü)0000-0002-6214-8014
Canan Sayın Temur(Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Fakültesi)0000-0003-0583-8083
Songul Atasavun Uysal(Hacettepe Üniversitesi Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Fakültesi)0000-0001-7334-411X
Pages
59–68
Publication Date
2026-01-09
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Therefore, considering chronotype may help support students’ academic success.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between chronotype and physical activity, depression, cognitive errors, and academic achievement among health sciences students.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Material and Methods: The sample included 179 undergraduate students in their final two years, with a mean age of 22.16±1.68 years.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Therefore, considering chronotype may help support students’ academic success.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Sirkadiyen Ritim · Egzersiz · Akademik Başarı

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between chronotype and physical activity, depression, cognitive errors, and academic achievement among health sciences students. Material and Methods: The sample included 179 undergraduate students in their final two years, with a mean age of 22.16±1.68 years. Participants were recruited online via snowball sampling. Data were collected using weighted GPAs, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Cognitive Status Scale, and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Students were categorized as morning, evening, or intermediate types, and outcomes were compared. Results: Physical activity, depression, and cognitive error levels did not differ significantly among chronotypes (all p>0.05). Academic achievement varied: morning types had the highest GPAs, evening types the lowest (p=0.035). Chronotype score showed no significant associations with depression, cognition, or physical activity (p=0.112; p=0.324; p=0.603). A positive association was found between chronotype and academic achievement, explaining 21% of the variance (p=0.005). Conclusion: Chronotype has limited effect on physical activity, depression symptoms, and cognitive errors among health sciences students. However, it significantly influences academic performance, with morning orientation linked to higher achievement. Therefore, considering chronotype may help support students’ academic success.

Özet

Amaç: Bu çalışma sağlık bilimlerinde öğrenim gören öğrencilerin fiziksel aktivite düzeyi, depresyon düzeyi, bilişsel hata düzeyi ve akademik başarısının kronotipe göre incelenmesi amacıyla gerçekleştirildi. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya Sağlık Bilimlerinde öğrenim gören yaşları ortalaması 22,16±1,68 yıl olan; lisans eğitiminin en az son iki yılında olan 179 birey dahil edildi. Bireylere kartopu yöntemiyle online olarak ulaşıldı. Google Forms üzerinden ağırlıklı genel not ortalamaları, Uluslararası Fiziksel Aktivite Ölçeği, Beck Depresyon Ölçeği, Bilişsel Durum Ölçeği, Sabahçıllık-Akşamcıllık Anketi doldurtuldu. Sabahçıllık-Akşamcıllık anketine göre kronotipleri belirlenerek üç farklı grup oluşturuldu. Grupların kronotipine göre sonuçlar karşılaştırıldı. Sonuçlar: Sabahçıl, akşamcıl ve ara tip kronotiplerin fiziksel aktivite, depresyon ve bilişsel hata düzeyleri benzer bulundu (tüm p>0,05); bireylerin akademik başarıları arasında fark olduğu; sabahçıl tipin en yüksek, akşamcıl tipin ise en düşük olduğu belirlendi (p=0.035). Bireylerin Sabahçıllık-Akşamcıllık anketi skoru ile Bilişsel Durum Ölçeği puanı, Beck Depresyon Ölçeği puanı ve Fiziksel Aktivite Düzeyi arasında anlamlı ilişki olmadığı (p=0,324; p=0,112; p=0,603); akademik başarıları ile aynı yönlü, anlamlı ve %21’lik ilişki olduğu belirlendi (p=0,005). Tartışma: Sonuç olarak, sağlık bilimlerinde öğrenim gören öğrencilerde kronotipin tek başına dikkate alınmasının fiziksel aktiviteyi artırma, depresif belirtileri azaltma ve bilişsel hataları azaltma açısından sınırlı etkiye sahip olduğu ancak akademik başarıyı desteklemede dikkate alınması gereken bir değişken olduğu söylenebilir.

🔖

Cite This Article

Akınoğlu, B., Sari, A. A., Çakıroğlu, A. E. Y., Temur, C. S., Uysal, S. A. (2026). Investigation of Health Sciences Students' Physical Activity Level, Depression Level, Cognitive Errors, and Academic Achievement According to Chronotype. Ergoterapi ve Rehabilitasyon Dergisi, Cilt: 14 Sayı: 1, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.30720/ered.1776151

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (32)

  1. Adan, A., Archer, S. N., Hidalgo, M. P., Di Milia, L., Natale, V., & Randler, C. (2012). Circadian typology: a comprehensive review. Chronobiology International, 29(9), 1153–1175. https://doi.org/10.3109/07420528.2012.719971
  2. Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4(6), 561–571. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1961.01710120031004
  3. Broadbent, D. E., Cooper, P. F., FitzGerald, P., & Parkes, K. R. (1982). The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and its correlates. The British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1982.tb01421.x
  4. Cohen J. (1992). A primer power. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155
  5. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
  6. Craig, C. L., Marshall, A. L., Sjöström, M., Bauman, A. E., Booth, M. L., Ainsworth, B. E., et al. (2003). International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(8), 1381–1395. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000078924.61453.FB
  7. Crouse, J. J., Park, S. H., Byrne, E. M., Mitchell, B. L., Chan, K., Scott, J., et al. (2024). Evening chronotypes with depression report poorer outcomes of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: A survey-based study of self-ratings. Biological Psychiatry, 96(1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.12.023
  8. Ekici, G., Uysal, S. A., & Altuntaş, O. (2016). The validity and reliability of Cognitive Failures Questionnaire in university students. Fizyoterapi Rehabilitasyon, 27(2), 55-60. https://doi.org/10.21653/tfrd.272979
  9. Facer-Childs, E. R., Boiling, S., & Balanos, G. M. (2018). The effects of time of day and chronotype on cognitive and physical performance in healthy volunteers. Sports Medicine-Open, 4(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0162-z
  10. Hicks, H., Meyer, K., & Watts, A. (2023). Differential effects of chronotype on physical activity and cognitive performance in older adults. Frontiers in Epidemiology, 3, 1029221. https://doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2023.1029221
  11. Hisli, N. (1989). Beck Depresyon Envanterinin üniversite öğrencileri için geçerliliği ve güvenilirliği (A reliability and validity study of Beck Depression Inventory in a university student sample). J Psychol, 7, 3–13.
  12. Horne, J. A., & Ostberg, O. (1975). A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness–eveningness in human circadian rhythms. International Journal of Chronobiology, 4(2), 97–110.
  13. Imam, H., Singla, D., & Basista, R. (2024). Effect of morningness–eveningness chronotype on academic performance of undergraduate students. Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy, 29(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43161-024-00199-2
  14. Jankowski, K. S., Díaz-Morales, J. F., & Vollmer, C. (2023). Chronotype, time of day, and performance on intelligence tests in the school setting. Journal of Intelligence, 11(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence11010013
  15. Kang, S., Kim, H., Yu, H., Lee, D., Lee, H. J., Ha, T. H., et al. (2024). The impact of morningness-eveningness on depression through a serial mediation model of resilience and anxiety. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 36(6), 438–445. https://doi.org/10.1017/neu.2024.23
  16. Liu, D., He, J., & Li, H. (2024). The relationship between adolescents' physical activity, circadian rhythms, and sleep. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1415985. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1415985
  17. Lucassen, E. A., Zhao, X., Rother, K. I., Mattingly, M. S., Courville, A. B., De Jonge, L., et al. (2013). Evening chronotype is associated with changes in eating behavior, more sleep apnea, and increased stress hormones in short sleeping obese individuals. PLOS One, 8(3), e56519. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056519
  18. Miño, C., Smith, L., Cristi-Montero, C., Gutiérrez-Espinoza, H., Olivares-Arancibia, J., Yañéz-Sepúlveda, R., et al. (2025). The hidden clock: how chronotype is related to depression, anxiety, and stress in adolescents–insights from the EHDLA study. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 19(16), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-025-00673-x
  19. Saglam, M., Arikan, H., Savci, S., Inal-Ince, D., Bosnak-Guclu, M., Karabulut, E., et al. (2010). International physical activity questionnaire: reliability and validity of the Turkish version. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 111(1), 278–284. https://doi.org/10.2466/06.08.PMS.111.4.278-284
  20. Patterson, F., Malone, S. K., Lozano, A., Grandner, M. A., & Hanlon, A. L. (2016). Smoking, screen-based sedentary behavior, and diet associated with habitual sleep duration and chronotype: data from the UK Biobank. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(5), 715–726. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9797-5
  21. Pündük, Z., Gür, H., & Ercan, İ. (2005). Sabahçil–Akşamcil Anketi Türkçe uyarlamasinda güvenilirlik çalişmasi. Türk Psikiyatri Dergisi, 16(1), 40–45.
  22. Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A., & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 18(1), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730402239679
  23. Rose, D., Gelaye, B., Sanchez, S., Castañeda, B., Sanchez, E., Yanez, N. D., et al. (2015). Morningness/eveningness chronotype, poor sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness in relation to common mental disorders among Peruvian college students. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 20(3), 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2014.951367
  24. Rotenstein, L. S., Ramos, M. A., Torre, M., Segal, J. B., Peluso, M. J., Guille, C., et al. (2016). Prevalence of depression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 316(21), 2214–2236. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.17324
  25. Roveda, E., Mulè, A., Galasso, L., Castelli, L., Scurati, R., Michielon, G., et al. (2020). Effect of chronotype on motor skills specific to soccer in adolescent players. Chronobiology International, 37(4), 552–563. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2020.1729787
  26. Salehinejad, M. A., Wischnewski, M., Ghanavati, E., Mosayebi-Samani, M., Kuo, M. F., & Nitsche, M. A. (2021). Cognitive functions and underlying parameters of human brain physiology are associated with chronotype. Nature Communications, 12(1), 4672. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24885-0
  27. Sempere-Rubio, N., Aguas, M., & Faubel, R. (2022). Association between chronotype, physical activity and sedentary behaviour: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9646. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159646
  28. Tan, M. N., Mevsim, V., Pozlu Cifci, M., Sayan, H., Ercan, A. E., Ergin, O. F., et al. (2020). Who is happier among preclinical medical students: the impact of chronotype preference. Chronobiology International, 37(8), 1163–1172. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2020.1761373
  29. Toktaş, N., Erdem, K. A., & Yetik, O. (2018). Erkek üniversite öğrencilerinin kronotipe göre sağlıklı yaşam biçimi davranışları ve fiziksel aktivite düzeyleri. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 18(1), 507-520. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2018.18.36350-411092
  30. Vitale, J. A., & Weydahl, A. (2017). Chronotype, physical activity, and sport performance: a systematic review. Sports Medicine, 47(9), 1859–1868. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0741-z
  31. Wrucke, D. J., Hoeger Bement, M. K., Harkins, A. L., Hunter, S. K., Stolzman, S., & Kaugars, A. S. (2024). Health sciences students' career commitment, mental health, and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of American College Health, 72(8), 2693–2700. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2128679
  32. Zeng, Y., Guo, Z., Wu, M., Chen, F., & Chen, L. (2024). Circadian rhythm regulates the function of immune cells and participates in the development of tumors. Cell Death Discovery, 10(1), 199. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-024-01960-1