Chronotype pattern and quality of life among university students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the chronotype pattern and its relationship to the quality of life of Saudi Arabian university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from January 2023 to August 2024, to assess the chronotype pattern and its association with quality of life among 453 undergraduate university students. The 19-item morningness-eveningness questionnaire was used to assess an individual's chronotype, while the validated Arabic version of the 26-item World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF was used to measure the quality of life (QoL). Results: The study included 453 participants, with an average age of 22 years (±2). Most participants were female (77%), single (90%), were from medical colleges (36.6%), were enrolled in public universities (79%), and belonged to the western region (58.7%). Furthermore, 72% of the participants studied were classified as intermediate. The participants' WHO quality of life score was 87 (±17), with 93.8% reporting good QoL. There was a statistically significant relationship between chronotype pattern and quality of life (p-value < 0.05). The multivariate regression analysis revealed that only having a chronic illness was negatively associated with good quality of life (β = 0.228, CI = 0.091: 0.573, p-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Saudi university students were most likely to exhibit the intermediate chronotype pattern. There was a significant association between intermediate chronotype and high quality of life.