The role of affective temperaments as a factor of vulnerability to seasonal affective disorder

Growing evidence suggests the relevance of affective temperaments in the development of mood disorders. This study aims to assess their potential role as a vulnerability factor for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and subsyndromal SAD (S-SAD) in a sample of young individuals without a history of clinical diagnosis.

Eight hundred and forty-six university students were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Participants were evaluated for exclusion and inclusion criteria and divided into Control, S-SAD, and SAD groups. They filled out two self-administered questionnaires to assess the degree of seasonality problems and the predominant type of affective temperaments, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), and the Temperament Evaluation Instrument of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Auto-questionnaire version scale (briefTEMPS-M version). We conducted a multinomial logistic regression model to explore the relationship between affective temperaments and seasonality.

Our results evidenced that cyclothymic [χ² (2) = 33.486, p < 0.001] and anxious [χ² (2) = 86.991, p < 0.001] temperaments were significant predictors in the model, suggesting that individuals with cyclothymic and anxious temperaments are at increased risk of developing SAD, due to heightened seasonal changes in mood and behavior. In contrast, people with hyperthymic temperament appear less susceptible to experiencing seasonal problems.

The homogeneity of the sample; only retrospective self-reported data were considered; measures of temperament and seasonality were simultaneously assessed.

Understanding which affective temperaments may constitute a potential predisposing factor for vulnerability to seasonal changes can aid in better assessing SAD and predicting its outcome.