Everything Was Disrupted: Chronotype and Mental Health Among Indonesian University Students Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Objective Circadian rhythms play a crucial role in human health, with disruptions linked to various mental health issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified these concerns, particularly among university students who faced significant changes in their daily routines due to lockdowns and remote learning. This study aims to investigate the impact of the pandemic on chronotype and mental health among Indonesian university students.Methods A comparative analysis was conducted involving two student populations: those affected by COVID-19 (n=257) from 2021 and a pre-pandemic comparison group (n=325) from 2019. Participants completed the Indonesian version of the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.0, employing chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U-tests, and Spearman’s rank correlation tests.Results We observed significant increases in depression, anxiety, and stress levels during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic conditions for both sexes (all p<0.01). Average sleep duration increased significantly during the pandemic for both males (6:40 to 7:13 hours) and females (6:46 to 7:13 hours), while mid-sleep times shifted later across all groups. Interestingly, traditional measures of chronotype using mid-sleep time on free days corrected for sleep debt did not reflect significant changes during this period.Conclusions This current study highlights profound impacts on mental health and sleep patterns among university students due to COVID-19-related disruptions. Under extreme conditions such as a pandemic, it is necessary to adapt assessment tools like questionnaires to accurately capture shifts in chronotype and associated mental health outcomes.