U.S. Census Bureau‐assessed prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in 2019 and during the 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: The disruptions to daily life caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have impacted mental health, particularly mood disorders. This study aimed to compare prevalence rates of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder in national samples in the U.S. before and during the pandemic. Methods: Participants (n = 336,525) were from U.S. Census Bureau-administered nationally representative probability samples, one from the first half of 2019 and four during the pandemic in April and May 2020. All participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 screening for depressive disorder and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 screening for anxiety disorders.

Anxiety and depression symptoms, and lack of emotional support among the general population before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A prospective national study on prevalence and risk factors

“…The results showed a clear pattern: we found no indications that the prevalence of high ADS levels and lack of ES increased (or decreased) during our study period among the total study sample compared to the pre-outbreak prevalence. In other words, in contrast to the studies of Twenge and Joiner (2020) and Pierce and colleagues (2020) on a group level the prevalence mental health problems, e.g. high ADS levels, and lack of ES appeared to be very stable.…”

“…A search using PUBMED and PsycINFO identified two prospective studies published between Jan 1 and July 31 2020 using probability samples of the general population with pre-outbreak measures indeed found an increase in mental health problems. In the study by Twenge and Joiner (2020) , adults were three to four times as likely to screen positive for anxiety and depression disorder according to the PHQ‐2, or both, in April-May 2020, compared to U.S. adults in the first half of 2019. About 30% screened positive for these disorders during the pandemic.…”

Mental distress among U.S. adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…However, these subjective perceptions have not been fully verified by empirical comparisons. Although brief screeners for anxiety and depression revealed elevated levels in the overall U.S. population during the pandemic (Riehm et al, 2020; Twenge & Joiner, 2020), these data did not allow demographic comparisons, and thus it is still unclear which groups are suffering more than others. Research is needed to inform risk assessment strategies, intervention and prevention targets, and health and public policy regarding mental health.…”

A influência da pandemia de COVID-19 no risco de suicídio / The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide risk

“…Segundo a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), a cada 40 segundos, uma pessoa comete suicídio no mundo (OMS, 2019, 2020) e, para cada pessoa que comete suicídio, outras 20 tentam (OMS, 2019(OMS, , 2020. Em comparação com os adultos norte-americanos em 2019, os adultos norte-americanos em abril e maio de 2020 tinham mais de três vezes mais chances de fazer o rastreamento positivo para transtornos depressivos, transtornos de ansiedade ou ambos, em amostras de probabilidade nacional administradas pelo Census Bureau (Twenge, 2020).…”

“…Dessa forma, no atual contexto, temos alguns fatores de risco relacionados à pandemia para desenvolvimento ou exacerbação de transtornos de humor: solidão, tensão econômica, aumento do uso de álcool, redução do nível de atividade física e conflito interpessoal aumentado (Twenge, 2020). O primeiro caso de suicídio relacionado com a pandemia de COVID-19 foi reportado na Índia em 12 de fevereiro de 2020, onde um homem, retornando da sua cidade natal, cometeu suicídio para evitar a contaminação pelo vírus na cidade (Goyal et al, 2020).…”