SOCIAL SUPPORT AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WINTER DEPRESSION
Lyudmila V. Pylkova
Department of Psychology, Novosibirsk State
University, Novosibirsk, Russia
Objectives. The evolutionary
psychological explanations predict that psychosocial risk
factors, especially those related to social support, play
the critical role in manifestation of depression. In particular,
findings on postpartum depression (Hagen, 1999) fit well in
this prediction: this condition seems to be closely associated
with poor social support. By contrast to evolutionary psychological
explanations, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been understood
as condition that develops in response to periodical changes
of physical environment, and, therefore, the influence of
these periodicities on patients' biology has been considered
to be the primary and most important cause of seasonality
of mood. Following this paradigm, the researches have not
focused their studies upon non-periodic psychosocial risk
factors as possible causes of seasonal depression. We tested
whether such factor as poor social support is implicated in
SAD.
Methods. The subjects were 89 women. Forty three of
them represent patients who, being diagnosed as SAD, took
part in the investigational bright light trials in winters
1988-2002. The others were age-matched controls recruited
from general population throughout the study. The results
on two questionnaires are presented here: 1) the MOS SSS that
examines 4 domains of social support and 2) the SF-36 that
includes 8 scales for evaluation of quality of life.
Results. The levels of perceived psychosocial support
assessed with MOS SSS were lower in the patients compared
to the controls (see Figure in Appendix). The differences
were significant for such domains as tangible support (p =
0.015), affectionate support (p = 0.003), and positive social
interaction (p = 0.0006). According to SF-36, general health
and somatic state were similar in patients and controls (see
Figure in Appendix). The patients showed the impaired scores
on 4 scales: mental health (p=0.028), vitality (p=0.002),
emotional role (p=0.042) and social functioning (p=0.002).
| Psychosocial support: MOSSS |
Patients,
N = 43
|
Controls,
N = 46
|
P, Students test |
p, M-W test |
| S1- emotional/ informational support |
20,8 ± 8,2 |
22,8 ± 7,4 |
,230461 |
,247018 |
| S2 - tangible support |
11,6 ± 3,9 |
13,4 ± 2,9 |
,015236 |
,032131 |
| S3 - affectionate support |
7,9 ± 3,8 |
9,9 ±2,4 |
,003855 |
,005453 |
| S4-positive social interaction support |
7,2 ± 3,1 |
9,4 ±2,8 |
,000685 |
,001134 |
| Quality of life: SF-36 |
|
|
|
|
| GH - general health |
63.2 ± 2.8 |
57.8 ± 2.3 |
.14 |
.11 |
| PF - physical functioning |
83.6 ± 3.7 |
89.0 ± 1.6 |
.15 |
.69 |
| RP - physical role, |
54.6 ± 6.8 |
65.0 ± 5.7 |
.24 |
.26 |
| RE - emotional role |
46.5 ± 6.3 |
64.4 ± 5.8 |
.042 |
.038 |
| SF - social functioning |
57.6 ± 4.5 |
74.8 ± 3.1 |
.0018 |
.0019 |
| BP - bodily pain |
59.4 ± 4.2 |
68.6 ± 3.2 |
.08 |
.06 |
| VT - vitality |
48.0 ± 3.6 |
61.1 ± 2.4 |
.0024 |
.0068 |
| MH - mental health |
54.3 ± 3.5 |
63.4 ± 2.3 |
.028 |
.06 |
Conclusions. For biological
theories of SAD, the association of psychosocial risk factors
with seasonality is unpredicted finding. This finding, however,
fits well in the evolutionary psychological explanation of
depression that predicts the critical role of psychosocial
factors in manifestation and treatment of any type of depression.
Appendix:
1 - emotional/ informational
support, 2 - tangible support (p = 0.015), 3 - affectionate
support (p = 0.003), 4 - positive social interaction support
(p = 0.0006).
GH - general health, PF
- physical functioning, RP - physical role, RE - emotional
role(p=0.042),
SF - social functioning (p=0.002), BP - bodily pain, VT -
vitality (p=0.002), MH - mental health (p=0.028).
|
