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Purpose: To better understand a diagnosis corresponding to mental distress and sleep disturbance associated with seasonal change known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD)., Design: This ethnographically guided investigation, conducted from 1993 through 1995 in Tromsøo, Norway at a latitude of 69 degrees north describes how the residents experience extreme seasonal change., Method: Qualitative interview data from 28 participants plus observation, folk wisdom, and literature were used to describe local understanding of seasonality and illustrate how cultural values, meanings, and practices can contribute to alternative experiences that differ from scientists' expectations., Findings: While there is evidence that human physiologic alterations occur in response to the changing seasonal patterns of light and dark and to a greater extent, at latitudes further from the equator, the findings related to psychological changes and their causes remain inconsistent and controversial., Conclusion: Investigators concerned with the effects of seasonal change should be aware of and develop an appreciation of cultural perception and adaptation.

On 17 October 1989, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck the San Francisco Bay Area, causing the collapse of .76 miles of a double-decker roadway (known as the Cypress Street Viaduct), resulting in the death of 42 people. A study examined the effects of rescue work at 6 and 20 months after the event, among 42 people including: military pararescuers, firefighters, transportation workers, and coroner-investigators. The researcher explored the rescuers' motivations, actions, coping strategies, interactions, and understanding of their responses to the event, as well as the practical wisdom each acquired. This article focuses on the 6-month data, and reports the specific work meanings and practices that shaped forms of involvement, issues of stress, and sources of coping that influenced the experience of rescue work in this disaster.