Study: Depression Threatens Men Born in These Months

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

((Arabian Sea)) Translations: A recent study conducted by researchers at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Canada revealed that men born in the summer are more prone to depression compared to those born in other seasons of the year. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the season of birth and the likelihood of individuals experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety in adulthood. The sample included 303 participants, 106 men and 197 women, with an average age of 26 years, from diverse backgrounds in Vancouver, and were ethnically distributed mainly among South Asians (31.7%), Whites (24.4%), and Filipinos (15.2%). Participants were asked to complete PHQ-9 questionnaires for depression and GAD-7 questionnaires for anxiety, allowing researchers to classify individuals who meet the medical criteria for these common mental health conditions. Birth dates were divided according to seasons: spring (March-May), summer (June-August), autumn (September-November), and winter (December-February). The results showed that 84 percent of participants suffered from depressive symptoms, while the rate of anxiety symptoms reached 66 percent. The study indicated that the effect of the season on anxiety is unclear, but the season of birth plays a role in the likelihood of developing depression, as the number of men born in the summer who suffer from varying degrees of depression on the PHQ-9 scale was higher compared to those born in other seasons. Despite the limitations of the study, which relied on a small and specific sample of young university students, it opens the door to deeper research to understand the gender-specific biological factors that may link early developmental conditions such as exposure to light and temperature and maternal health during pregnancy, with later mental health.