Browsing by Subject "Auringonvalo"

Background – The association of solar insolation with depression has been extensively studied in recent decades, but rather little is known how light affects the etiology of depression. Research on the connection between light and anxiety is even more sparse, even though the comorbidity between depression and anxiety is strong. A deeper understanding of the connection between light and mental health is important at both individual and societal levels to provide high-quality and effective methods to promote mental well-being, as well as to compensate regional disparities in regard to light exposure. This study examines whether the amount of long-term light exposure is associated with diagnosing depression and anxiety. Methods – The data were from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare’s Health 2000-2011 surveys (sample 3139, women 56.5%, mean age 48.01 years in 2000 and 59.01 years in 2011), from which the incidence of mental health diagnoses was examined in subjects who did not have a diagnosis in 2000. Diagnostic data were combined with insolation of the subject's residential area. The control variables were the season of the survey, gender, age, level of education, the percentage of unemployed in zip code area, the percentage of college degree in the zip code area, and the average income in the zip code area. The association between light exposure and mental health diagnosis was estimated by logistic regression analyzes at 1, 5, and 10- year exposure periods. Results – For all variables examined, for all control situations, and for all exposure periods, the odds ratio was equal to 1 (ORs ranged from 1,0001 to 1,0006 between different models) and after controls a 95% confidence interval with a 10-year exposure period spread on both sides of value 1. Based on the Hoslem-Lemeshow test, the predictive power appeared to be strong for all models, as each of the models only predicted subjects to be undiagnosed. In contrast, based on the McFadden value of the Pseudo R2 test, the predictive power remained very low in all models (0.001-0.058). Conclusions – The study supports evidence that light exposure is not associated with diagnosing depression or anxiety. The probability of being diagnosed is equal regardless of the amount or duration of sunlight exposure.