Measuring seasonality: psychometric properties of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire and the Inventory for Seasonal Variation.
Abstract
There is a general consensus that seasonal changes in mood, behavior and vegetative functions vary in magnitude across the general population. Studying the dimension of seasonality requires reliable and valid measures. This study examined and compared the psychometric properties of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and the Inventory for Seasonal Variation (ISV) in 148 college students; 73 also completed a retest 2 months later. Results indicated good psychometric properties for both scales in terms of score distributions, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, factor structure and item-latent trait relationships using item response theory. Given the long history of its use and some small psychometric and simplicity advantages for the SPAQ, its continued use as a dimensional measure of seasonality is indicated.
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The questionnaire has two-month test-retest reliability.
“However, the questionnaire is retrospective to the routine seasonal changes during lifetime and has excellent sensitivity and specificity (94% and 73% respectively) for seasonal affective disorder and its subsyndromal form [62], a high internal consistency [63], and two-month test-ratest reliability [64].”
From Seasonal changes in mood and behavior are linked to metabolic syndrome (2008) · cites this paper as [64]
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A <i>PERIOD3</i> variant causes a circadian phenotype and is associated with a seasonal mood trait
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- Authors
- Young, M. A., Blodgett, C., & Reardon, A.
- Affiliations
- Illinois Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Young, Michael A
- ORCID
- Young, Michael A
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-01
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 75-83
- ISSN
- 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2094412707
- Cited by
- 56
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 4.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- seasonal variation, Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire, psychometric properties, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, factor structure, item response theory, university students, mood, vegetative functions
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Personality Inventory, Psychometrics, Reference Values, Seasons, Students, Reproducibility of Results, Seasonal Affective Disorder
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