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Seasonal Variations of Current Symptoms in a Healthy Population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

David Schlager ,
Joseph E. Schwartz  and
Evelyn J. Bromet
David Schlager*
Affiliation:
State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794-8101, USA
Joseph E. Schwartz
Affiliation:
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Evelyn J. Bromet
Affiliation:
State University of New York at Stony Brook
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Among a large workplace population interviewed over a year, current symptoms were assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). Variation in symptoms by date of assessment was observed among the 314 women but not the 1556 men. Among women, symptoms were greatest during late autumn and winter, and significant inverse correlations were found between available daylight at the time of assessment and standard symptom dimensions of anxiety and somatisation, as well as an expanded mood scale more inclusive of depressive symptoms within the check-list. The amplitude of the seasonal effect was such that the prevalence of female ‘cases', as defined by HSCL criteria, was twice as high during winter than during the rest of the year. The data are consistent with a role for light-dark exposure in eliciting or synchronising annual mood rhythms. The sex-by-season interactions may contribute to the sex differences in overall prevalence of depression.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 163 , Issue 3 , September 1993 , pp. 322 - 326
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1993 

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