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Seasonal variation in self-reported arousal and subjective health complaints

Persson, Roger LU orcid ; Österberg, Kai LU ; Garde, Anne H. ; Hansen, Ase M. ; Orbaek, Palle and Karlson, Björn LU (2010) In Psychology, Health & Medicine 15(4). p.434-444
Abstract
Many aspects of human physiology and behavior are seasonally related. Although there are many studies using self-ratings of, for example, subjective health and stress, few involve adjusting effects for seasonal differences. To estimate the need of adjusting for season in field studies, 24 healthy men and women were studied in a design that required them to fill in questionnaires on one workday every month, for 12 consecutive months. The results showed that ratings of stress were higher during winter and early spring, but only in the early afternoon and not in the morning or the evening. While some subjective health complaints were rated higher during winter, the ratings of energy and self-rated health did not vary throughout seasons. This... (More)
Many aspects of human physiology and behavior are seasonally related. Although there are many studies using self-ratings of, for example, subjective health and stress, few involve adjusting effects for seasonal differences. To estimate the need of adjusting for season in field studies, 24 healthy men and women were studied in a design that required them to fill in questionnaires on one workday every month, for 12 consecutive months. The results showed that ratings of stress were higher during winter and early spring, but only in the early afternoon and not in the morning or the evening. While some subjective health complaints were rated higher during winter, the ratings of energy and self-rated health did not vary throughout seasons. This concludes that seasonal variations may be a source of bias in questionnaire studies. Yet, further studies are needed to more definitely sort out which phenomena and self-rating measures that co-vary with season. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
working environment, self-rated health, stress-energy inventory
in
Psychology, Health & Medicine
volume
15
issue
4
pages
434 - 444
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:77955127769
  • wos:000280547400006
  • pmid:20677081
ISSN
1465-3966
DOI
10.1080/13548506.2010.482140
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d0a19ece-a9a5-48db-a073-645702baaa67 (old id 3972028)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:02:14
date last changed
2023-10-04 13:35:33
@article{d0a19ece-a9a5-48db-a073-645702baaa67,
  abstract     = {{Many aspects of human physiology and behavior are seasonally related. Although there are many studies using self-ratings of, for example, subjective health and stress, few involve adjusting effects for seasonal differences. To estimate the need of adjusting for season in field studies, 24 healthy men and women were studied in a design that required them to fill in questionnaires on one workday every month, for 12 consecutive months. The results showed that ratings of stress were higher during winter and early spring, but only in the early afternoon and not in the morning or the evening. While some subjective health complaints were rated higher during winter, the ratings of energy and self-rated health did not vary throughout seasons. This concludes that seasonal variations may be a source of bias in questionnaire studies. Yet, further studies are needed to more definitely sort out which phenomena and self-rating measures that co-vary with season.}},
  author       = {{Persson, Roger and Österberg, Kai and Garde, Anne H. and Hansen, Ase M. and Orbaek, Palle and Karlson, Björn}},
  issn         = {{1465-3966}},
  keywords     = {{working environment; self-rated health; stress-energy inventory}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{434--444}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Psychology, Health & Medicine}},
  title        = {{Seasonal variation in self-reported arousal and subjective health complaints}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2010.482140}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/13548506.2010.482140}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}