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Associations Between Relocation and Seasonal Depression

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  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that is characterized by depressive symptoms that onset and remit at the same times each year. Whereas few people (about 1%) experience problems severe enough to be labeled SAD, many people (estimates range from 30%-90%) may experience mild to moderate changes in depressive symptoms in response to day length and other seasonal changes. Given that latitude affects the extent to which day length varies seasonally, this study explored the extent to which international college students’ relocation to a new latitude (44.57° N; Corvallis, Oregon) may affect their seasonal depressive symptoms. It was hypothesized that 1) the severity of students’ current depressive symptoms (assessed in winter) would be related to the extent of latitudinal change between their previous residence and Corvallis, and 2) that lifetime histories of seasonal depression would be more prevalent among students from latitudes that are further from the equator. A convenience sample of 50 international students (N = 50, men=33, women=16, unreported=1) age 18 or older with evidence of English proficiency were recruited from an international learning center. Participants were surveyed on acculturative stress, social support, current depressive symptoms, and lifetime seasonal depressive symptoms. Nearly all (98%) participants came from a more southern latitude (mean latitude of origin was 27° N); thus many participants were potentially experiencing a significant latitudinal change, as well as more dramatic changes in day length. Half (49%) of participants reported clinically significant depressive symptoms. Contrary to the hypotheses, latitude change was not associated with severity of current depressive symptoms (r = 0.12). Current depressive symptoms were more related to lower social support (r = -.35, p < .05) and higher acculturative stress (r = .63 p < 0.001). Furthermore, latitude of origin was not related to lifetime history of seasonal depression (r = -.01). Thus, no support was found for the notion that latitude (considered a proxy for the magnitude of seasonal changes in day length) or change in latitude are powerful influences on international students’ depressive symptoms.
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  • This project was supported by Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship & Creativity program (URISC).
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