New KPU study finds how different seasons of birth affect mental illness

Kwantlen Polytechnic University biology instructors Mika Mokkonen and Cayley Velazquez along with research student Arshdeep Kaur have led a study on depression symptoms in adulthood and how they could be linked to the season of birth.

The article was published in the open science journal PLOS Mental Health on July 30. In an email statement to The Runner, Mokkonen wrote that 303 adults were surveyed for the study from across the world. 

“We naturally had the highest response rate from individuals locally here in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.”

Mokkonen wrote the “initial spark” for the idea formed after someone asked him if he believed in horoscopes, to which he began wondering about the association between when an individual is born and other physical or mental characteristics in peer-reviewed articles.

Upon discussions with Velazquez and Kaur, the team was able to “refine the research question to its final form.”

“For this study, we began working on it in September of 2023, and we had results analyzed by the summer of 2024,” Mokkonen wrote in an email statement to The Runner.

“Arsh is really to be commended for her dedication and hard work with getting the study completed …. Dr. Velazquez and I supervised Arsh’s project, meeting with her on a weekly basis throughout the academic year.”

One of the main findings of the study that gave the team some pause were relatively high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms that are prevalent in adults, Mokkonen wrote.

“The majority of study participants demonstrated symptoms of anxiety and depression, which indicates that our society needs to improve policies to better address mental health,” he wrote.

“Secondly, we need to take the biological context of individuals into account in health studies. Had we not examined the difference between biological females and males in our analyses, we would have missed the result that males born during the summer had a higher incidence of depression compared to females.”

The researchers found men had a higher incidence of depression symptoms if they were born in the spring or summer, while women had a higher occurrence if they were born in the spring or winter.

Another take away the team had was that more research is needed on these factors during pregnancy, which can go on to impact the health trajectory of individuals later in life.

He wrote the research was made possible through the support of the university, the Office of Research Services, and the Applied Genomics Centre.

Kaur was also awarded a student research and innovation grant (SRIG) from KPU, which Mokkonen wrote was “instrumental in carrying out the study’s objectives.”

“We also benefited from supportive colleagues that attended research presentations and provided additional feedback on Arsh’s work — Ann Marie Davison in particular,” he added.

“For any students interested in gaining valuable skills that will help them in their careers after university, these senior capstone projects in our department are an excellent option.”

To read the team’s article, visit www.bit.ly/kpudepressionstudy.