PREVALENCE OF SEASONAL-CHANGES IN MOOD AND BEHAVIOR DURING THE WINTERMONTHS IN CENTRAL TEXAS

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was administered to a sample of students, faculty, and staff at a large state universit y in central Texas. Estimated prevalence rates of winter seasonal affe ctive disorder (SAD) and subsyndromal winter SAD (S-SAD) derived from their SPAQ responses were considerably higher than expected, given the relatively low latitude of the area. Generally consistent with earlie r findings, women experienced greater seasonal change in mood and beha vior than men, and older individuals experienced less seasonal change than younger individuals.