Leiden University Student Repository

Huang (2025)

Exploring the Correlation Between Chronotypes and Depression: The Moderating Role of Childhood Trauma

Master thesis | Psychology (MSc)

Background: Chronotype is an individual’s preference for the timing of sleep and wakefulness, is a well-established vulnerability factor for depression. Similarly, childhood trauma is a significant risk factor for depressive disorder. However, the interactive effect of childhood trauma and chronotype on depression severity has not been previously examined. This study investigated whether childhood trauma moderates the relationship between chronotype and depression severity in a clinical population. Methods: We used a cross-sectional design with data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) cohort. The final sample consisted of 635 adults with a clinical diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder or Dysthymia, with individuals with comorbid anxiety disorders being excluded. Chronotype was assessed using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ), and childhood trauma was measured with the trauma questionnaire from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence...Show moreBackground: Chronotype is an individual’s preference for the timing of sleep and wakefulness, is a well-established vulnerability factor for depression. Similarly, childhood trauma is a significant risk factor for depressive disorder. However, the interactive effect of childhood trauma and chronotype on depression severity has not been previously examined. This study investigated whether childhood trauma moderates the relationship between chronotype and depression severity in a clinical population. Methods: We used a cross-sectional design with data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) cohort. The final sample consisted of 635 adults with a clinical diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder or Dysthymia, with individuals with comorbid anxiety disorders being excluded. Chronotype was assessed using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ), and childhood trauma was measured with the trauma questionnaire from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Both were handled as independent variables in the model. Depression severity was the dependent variable, assessed by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Self Report (IDS-SR). A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine main and moderating effects. Results: The regression model showed a significant prediction of depression, accounting for 15,9% of the variance. We found significant main effects for both chronotype and childhood trauma. Higher levels of childhood trauma were significantly associated with greater depression severity. However, the interaction term between chronotype and childhood trauma was not statistically significant, indicating that childhood trauma did not moderate the relationship between chronotype and depression severity in this sample. Conclusion: The findings suggest that chronotype and a history of childhood trauma are independently associated with depression severity. While our analysis did not show a moderation effect, this may be due to the use of a single cumulative trauma score, which could have masked more specific interactions. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of both chronotype and trauma as distinct vulnerability factors for depression. Future research should investigate the effects of specific trauma subtypes on depression to better understand this complex interplay.Show less

Author

Huang

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Clinical Psychology

Supervisors

Rus, O.G.

ECTS Credits

60

Language

en