One-Third of Young Adults Experienced Anxiety, Depression During Pandemic
More than one-third of young adults in the United States were found to have had anxiety or depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-sectional study recently published in JAMA Network Open.
“Economic precarity was associated with high anxiety and depression among younger adults in the US compared with older adults in the US,” authors noted. “These findings suggest a need for greater mental health care and economic policies targeted toward younger adults.”
Researchers used an online survey between April 2020 and August 2022 to survey 3,028,923 US adults to determine levels of anxiety and depression during the pandemic. Participants had a mean age of 49 and were 51.8% female. Symptoms were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item screener for anxiety and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 screener for depression. Data analysis took place between March and September 2022.
Using multiple regression analyses, researchers found that levels of anxiety and depression were highest in younger adults aged 18 to 39 than in adults aged 40 years or more. Of the younger adults, 40% had anxiety disorders and 33% had depressive disorders. Of adults aged 40 to 59 years, 31% had anxiety disorders and 24% had depressive disorders, while of adults aged 60 years and older, only 20% had anxiety disorders and 16% had depressive disorders. Though levels decreased during the pandemic for adults aged 40 years and older, levels remained elevated for younger adults. Moreover, younger adults’ levels increased more than older adults’ during COVID-19 surges and decreased less following vaccinations.
Researchers hypothesized that circumstances like economic precarity and social and economic privilege, as well as societal events such as racial justice protests and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, could have been what affected younger adults’ during this period. Authors cited the 2022 Stress in America Survey, which found that many US adults reported a sense of loss and grief regarding the pandemic—77% of those aged 18 to 25 and 70% of those aged 26 to 43 said the pandemic “stole major life moments they will never get back.”
“These sentiments suggest this period is marked by a sense of upheaval that has left a lasting impact on young adult well-being,” authors concluded. “While there is more to learn about the factors that contribute to the experience younger US adult have with anxiety and depression in the current context, our findings point to a need for mental health care and economic policies that target the needs of young adults.”