Validation of the English-language version of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale-improved (MESSi), and comparison with a measure of sleep inertia

The Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale-improved (MESSi) assesses three components of circadian functioning: Morning Affect (time to fully awaken), Eveningness (orientation/preference for evening activity), and Distinctness (amplitude of diurnal variations in functioning). Following the original German version, translations of the MESSi (including Spanish, Turkish, and Chinese) have been validated, but validity evidence for the English-language version has been lacking. The current study tested the factor structure, internal consistency, and predicted correlations of the English-language MESSi. A sample of 600 adults from an online recruitment platform (aged 18-78, mean = 41.31, SD = 13.149) completed an online survey including the MESSi, reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ), Sleep Inertia Questionnaire (SIQ), and measures of personality and depressive symptoms. Exploratory factor analysis exactly reproduced the three-component structure of Morning Affect (MA), Eveningness, and Distinctness, with all items loading strongly on their respective component. Confirmatory factor analysis of this structure showed acceptable fit. The three subscales showed good internal consistency and replicated previously reported correlations with depressive symptoms, sleep inertia, sleep quality, and personality. Further factor analysis combining the items of the MESSi, rMEQ, and SIQ replicated a previously found seven-factor structure: Cognitive, Emotional, and Physiological sleep inertia (SI), Responses to SI (including one MA item); Duration of SI (one SIQ item, 3/5 MA items); Morningness-Eveningness (MESSi Eveningness items, plus 3/5 rMEQ items); Distinctness (5/5 MESSi items). In conclusion, the English-language MESSi shows sound psychometric properties, but Morning Affect may be more suitably characterised as a measure of sleep inertia duration, rather than morningness preference.