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Seasonal Variation of Depression and Other Moods: A Longitudinal Approach
Abstract
The present study examined the effect of season of the year on depression and other moods. Previous work, primarily cross sectional or retrospective in design and involving clinically depressed or seasonally affective disordered samples, has suggested that mood changes as a function of season. However, the literature also shows conflicting and/or inconsistent findings about the extent and nature of this relationship. Importantly, these prior studies have not adequately answered the question of whether there is a seasonal effect in nondepressed people. The present study employed a longitudinal design and a large sample drawn from a normal population. The results, based on those participants for whom mood measures were collected in each season, demonstrated strong seasonal effects. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were highest in winter and lowest in summer. Ratings on scales of hostility, anger, irritability, and anxiety also showed very strong seasonal effects. Further analyses revealed that seasonal variation in BDI scores differed for females and males. Females had higher BDI scores that showed strong seasonal variation, whereas males had lower BDI scores that did not vary significantly across season of the year.
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“Our study followed people across the period from spring to summer in England so the contribution of seasonality to findings remains to be explored, although the results presented here suggest effects above and beyond usual fluctuations.37”
From Trajectories of anxiety and depressive symptoms during enforced isolation due to COVID-19 in England: a longitudinal observational study (2021) · cites this paper as [37]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Harmatz, M. G., Well, A. D., Overtree, C. E., Kawamura, K. Y., Rosal, M., & Ockene, I. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- ORCID
- Rosal, Milagros
- Venue
- Journal of Biological Rhythms
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2000-08
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 344-350
- ISSN
- 0748-7304 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-4531
- OpenAlex
- W2170802796
- Cited by
- 182
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 0.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Biological Rhythms (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship@UMassChan (submittedVersion)
- ScholarWorks@UMassAmherst (University of Massachusetts Amherst) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r01hl052745-04)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL52745)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- 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, depression, mood, seasonal affective disorder, Beck Depression Inventory, hostility, anger, irritability, anxiety, sex differences, winter, healthy population
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Aged, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Massachusetts, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Seasons, Sex Characteristics, Patient Selection, Mood Disorders
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