Depression symptoms increased three-fold amid pandemic, study finds
The prevalence of depression-like symptoms is up across all categories of respondents, regardless of age, gender or income.
Depression symptoms among U.S. adults increased threefold during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published this week.
The study, published Sept. 2 by researchers from Boston University and the University of Chicago, found that the prevalence of depression symptoms jumped from 8.5% before the pandemic to nearly 28% after the public health crisis began to take hold in mid-March.
The findings are consistent with similar surveys in Asia showing a “substantial burden of psychological distress” following COVID-19, the authors noted. Overall, fewer people reported no symptoms associated with depression, while a greater number of respondents said that they had more symptoms.
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The psychological impact of the pandemic was particularly acute among lower-income groups, as those with less than $5,000 in household savings were at a 50% higher risk of developing symptoms, the study found.
However, the prevalence of depression-like symptoms was up across all categories of respondents, regardless of age, gender or income.
“This increase in depression symptom prevalence is higher than that recorded after previous mass traumatic events, likely reflecting the far more pervasive influence of COVID-19 and its social and economic consequences than other, previously studied mass traumatic events,” The study said.
“While further data will be needed to assess the trajectory of depression in the US population and potential treatment for affected populations, it seems important to recognize the potential for the mental health consequences of COVID-19 to be large in scale, to recognize that these effects can be long-lasting, and to consider preventative action to help mitigate its effects.”
The study compared the responses of 1,470 survey participants from March 31 to April 13– when lockdowns in 42 states had affected 96% of the U.S. population and the unemployment rate was reaching record highs, with 20 million people filing unemployment claims–with the most recent population-based estimates of mental health. The same measures were used to compare the two groups.
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