ABSTRACT
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a proposed mental disorder still controversial. This condition is prevalent in northern latitudes, but few studies have been conducted at locations in the southern hemisphere. It is usually assessed by the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). This study aimed to evaluate, through on-line questionnaire, the hypothesis that, in the Brazilian population, latitude and longitude influence SPAQ scores. Methods: An advertisement was posted on a sleep medicine website inviting visitors to investigate seasonal patterns of behavior and mood, using a Brazilian Portuguese version of the SPAQ. The geographic coordinates of the place of residence of each respondent were analyzed as a continuous variable or distributed in quartiles of latitude and longitude. The psychometric properties of the SPAQ were assessed by reliability and factor analyses. Results: Answers from 1001 respondents out of 1045 were considered eligible. High SPAQ scores were observed in 287 respondents, equally distributed among all latitude and longitude quartiles. Data collected in different seasons and during daylight saving time did not differ significantly in any of the scores for SPAQ dimensions. No correlations between SPAQ scores and latitude or longitude were observed. Psychometric properties of the SPAQ were preserved in all geographic locations. Conclusion: The finding of similar SPAQ scores at a wide latitude range defies the concept of SAD symptoms as latitude or longitude-dependent phenomena...
Subject(s)
Psychometrics , Seasonal Affective DisorderABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Recurrence of mood episodes associated with a specific season has been described in various mood disorders. Seasonal change in mood and behavior as a lifetime trait is also observed in healthy individuals. This study aimed at comparing the lifetime trait of seasonal variations of mood and behavior between bipolar disorder patients and controls as well as investigating associated factors of seasonality. METHODS: Subjects were ninety-four clinically stable patients with bipolar disorder and 188 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Seasonality of mood and behavior was assessed retrospectively on lifetime basis using Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire(SPAQ). RESULTS: The patient group showed a higher median global seasonality score(GSS) of SPAQ and a higher rate of seasonal affective disorder(SAD) compared to the control group(p < 0.0001). For subjects showing prominent seasonality, the seasonal symptom profile and seasonal pattern was similar in both patient and control groups. In addition to the diagnosis, female gender was shown to be a predictor of seasonality in the multiple linear regression analysis(p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that lifetime trait of seasonality may be related to the susceptibility of bipolar disorder.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Bipolar Disorder , Linear Models , Mood Disorders , Recurrence , Retrospective Studies , SeasonsABSTRACT
The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ- Rosenthal, Bradt Wehr, 1984) is the most frequently used self-evaluation instrument for identifying the subject's sensibility to seasonal changes. The objective of this study is to present the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the SPAQ in young subjects. The questionnaire was administered to 592 university students (395 women and 197 men). Good psychometric properties of the SPAQ reported by authors from several countries are replicated (descriptive statistics, internal consistency, inter-item correlation and factor analysis). On the grounds of the patterns of the results we believe that the Spanish version of the SPAQ is a valuable instrument in order to further study the chronobiological aspects of psychopathologies, which are highly useful in epidemiological research and, with the due precautions, also in the clinical environment.
El cuestionario de evaluación de patrón estacional (Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire, SPAQ Rosenthal, Bradt & Wehr, 1984) es el instrumento de auto-evaluación más usado para determinar la sensibilidad de los individuos a los cambios estacionales. El objetivo de este estudio consiste en presentar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión castellana del SPAQ en sujetos jóvenes. Se administró la traducción castellana del SPAQ a 592 estudiantes universitarios (395 mujeres y 197 varones). Los resultados confirman unas propiedades psicométricas adecuadas del SPAQ también para la versión castellana (distribución de las puntuaciones, consistencia interna, homogeneidad, estructura factorial), en consonancia con los datos obtenidos en otros países. El cuestionario es un instrumento que permitirá profundizar en el estudio de los aspectos cronobiológicos de las psicopatologías, de gran utilidad en investigación epidemiológica y, aunque con algunas precauciones, también en el ámbito clínico en países de habla hispana.