Mental Health and Well-Being Trends Through the First Year-and-a-Half of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a Longitudinal Study of Young Adults in the USA

Abstract

This study examined longitudinal trajectories of young adults’ mental health and well-being before and throughout the first year-and-a-half of the COVID-19 pandemic. Repeated assessments of a young adult community cohort ( N = 656; M age = 25.6 years; 59.3% female) were conducted beginning prior to COVID-19 (January 2020) and extending through August 2021. Multilevel spline growth models estimated changes in three segments: (a) from pre-pandemic to April/May 2020, (b) from April/May 2020 to September 2020, and (c) from September 2020 to August 2021. Depression symptoms and loneliness increased significantly in the first segment, plateaued slightly, then decreased significantly across the final segment. Anxiety symptoms were unchanged across the first two segments, but significantly decreased in the final segment. Satisfaction with life decreased significantly across the first two segments, and then increased significantly in the final segment. Direct comparisons of pre-pandemic scores (January 2020) to the last follow-up (July or August 2021) showed a return to pre-pandemic levels of depression symptoms, loneliness, and satisfaction with life, as indicated by non-significant differences, and significantly lower anxiety symptoms, relative to pre-pandemic. Findings support concerns for young adults’ mental health and well-being in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also indicate that young adults’ emotional well-being, on average, may be returning to pre-pandemic levels. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11121-022-01382-4.

Shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological responses from a subjective perspective–A longitudinal mixed-methods study across five European countries

“…summer and autumn 2020) and T2 (i.e. summer and autumn 2021), thus corroborating the results found in the USA in a similar period [ 13 ]. We did not find any significant differences regarding AD, PTSD, and well-being scores in the overall sample.…”

“…When compared with pre-pandemic data, a study in Germany reported an increase in anxiety and depressive symptoms during the first wave of COVID-19 (spring 2020) but a decrease during the second wave (January-February 2021; [ 12 ]). This stabilisation of anxiety and depressive symptoms was also reported in the USA [ 13 ]. By contrast, a recent Swiss study found that the prevalence of anxiety and depression almost doubled between August 2020 and May 2021 [ 14 ].…”

Trends in Incident Prescriptions for Behavioral Health Medications in the US, 2018-2022

“…This is consistent with studies among adolescents and young adults, which found an initial increase in depression and anxiety symptoms at the onset of the pandemic, followed by a decrease and/or a plateau in symptoms during the pandemic as COVID-19 infection rates declined. 20,21 For benzodiazepines, public health concerns over abuse, misuse, and addiction, alone and when coprescribed with opioids, may have contributed to the observed trends. 22,23 For buprenorphine MOUD, there was an initial drop in incident prescriptions in March 2020.…”

Addressing the Increasing Mental Health Distress and Mental Illness Among Young Adults in the United States

“…During this time, housing and financial stress, lower social engagement or support, and lower family functioning (Garcia Colato et al, 2022; Généreux et al, 2021; Kreski et al, 2022; Wiedemann et al, 2022) were also associated with worse mental health symptoms or psychological distress as people coped with the dramatic pressures of job instability, remote work and school, social isolation, and functioning in home environments not designed for the multiple requirements of that period. Longitudinal research during the resolution of acute pandemic challenges showed return to previous levels of symptoms (Jia et al, 2021); specifically, these newly emerged mental health symptoms returned to prepandemic levels (Graupensperger et al, 2022).…”