Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area
The purpose of this study was to estimate the degree of seasonality and prevalence of winter- and summer-type seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in African immigrant college students in comparison with African American peers. A convenience sample of 246 African immigrants and 599 African Americans st...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2007-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2007.114 |
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| _version_ | 1832552262010929152 |
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| author | Alvaro Guzman Kelly J. Rohan Samina M. Yousufi Minh-Chau Nguyen Michael A. Jackson Joseph J. Soriano Teodor T. Postolache |
| author_facet | Alvaro Guzman Kelly J. Rohan Samina M. Yousufi Minh-Chau Nguyen Michael A. Jackson Joseph J. Soriano Teodor T. Postolache |
| author_sort | Alvaro Guzman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study was to estimate the degree of seasonality and prevalence of winter- and summer-type seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in African immigrant college students in comparison with African American peers. A convenience sample of 246 African immigrants and 599 African Americans studying in Washington, D.C. completed the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), which was used to calculate a global seasonality score (GSS) and to estimate the prevalence of winter- and summer-type SAD. Degree of seasonality was related to a complex interaction between having general awareness of SAD, ethnicity, and gender. A greater percentage of African students reported experiencing a problem with seasonal changes relative to African American students, and had summer SAD, but the groups did not differ on GSS and winter SAD. African students reported more difficulties with seasonal changes than their African American peers, which could represent a manifestation of incomplete acclimatization to a higher latitude and temperate climate. As Africans also had a greater rate of summer SAD, this argues against acclimatization to heat. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d9393a280ba04afbaefb87bd1635ff5a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2007-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-d9393a280ba04afbaefb87bd1635ff5a2025-02-03T05:59:14ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2007-01-01758459110.1100/tsw.2007.114Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan AreaAlvaro Guzman0Kelly J. Rohan1Samina M. Yousufi2Minh-Chau Nguyen3Michael A. Jackson4Joseph J. Soriano5Teodor T. Postolache6Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, MSTF Building, Room 502, 685 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USAPsychology Department, University of Vermont, John Dewey Hall, 2 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, VT 05405-0134, USAResidency Training Program, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 2700 Martin Luther King Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20032, USAResidency Training Program, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 2700 Martin Luther King Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20032, USAResidency Training Program, St. Elizabeths Hospital, 2700 Martin Luther King Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20032, USAMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, MSTF Building, Room 502, 685 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USAMood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, MSTF Building, Room 502, 685 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USAThe purpose of this study was to estimate the degree of seasonality and prevalence of winter- and summer-type seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in African immigrant college students in comparison with African American peers. A convenience sample of 246 African immigrants and 599 African Americans studying in Washington, D.C. completed the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), which was used to calculate a global seasonality score (GSS) and to estimate the prevalence of winter- and summer-type SAD. Degree of seasonality was related to a complex interaction between having general awareness of SAD, ethnicity, and gender. A greater percentage of African students reported experiencing a problem with seasonal changes relative to African American students, and had summer SAD, but the groups did not differ on GSS and winter SAD. African students reported more difficulties with seasonal changes than their African American peers, which could represent a manifestation of incomplete acclimatization to a higher latitude and temperate climate. As Africans also had a greater rate of summer SAD, this argues against acclimatization to heat.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2007.114 |
| spellingShingle | Alvaro Guzman Kelly J. Rohan Samina M. Yousufi Minh-Chau Nguyen Michael A. Jackson Joseph J. Soriano Teodor T. Postolache Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area |
| title_full | Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area |
| title_fullStr | Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area |
| title_short | Mood Sensitivity to Seasonal Changes in African College Students Living in the Greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area |
| title_sort | mood sensitivity to seasonal changes in african college students living in the greater washington d c metropolitan area |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2007.114 |
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