Seasonal Affective Disorder and Personality, Age, and Gender

Abstract

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a recurring depression, understood as having a biological aetiology probably related to a lack of sunlight during the winter months, although a variant has also been reported to occur during the summer. This study sought to investigate the relationship between seasonal mood variations, as measured by a devised scale, and the personality aspects of neuroticism, psychoticism, and extraversion, as assessed by Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire. Gender and age were also recorded. Results from 97 participants, comprising students and adults from the community, confirmed that women were more prone to SAD than were men, but disconfirmed the generally held view that those under 40 years were the most likely age group to suffer. A significant and positive relationship was found between high scores on both the SAD and neuroticism scales, but there was an inverse correlation between SAD and psychoticism scores. The implications of these results for the diagnosis of SAD are discussed. Southern Africa would appear to be an ideal location in which to study both the winter and summer variants of the SAD syndrome.