Mental Health During the First Weeks of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

Abstract

Background: By March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 crisis as a worldwide pandemic and many local governments instituted stay-at-home orders and closed non-essential businesses. Within the United States, tens of millions of workers lost their jobs and financial security during the first few weeks of the national response, in an attempt to slow the global pandemic. Because of the enormity of the pandemic and its potential impact on mental health, the objective of the present study was to document the prevalence of mental health problems and their association with pandemic-related job loss during the third week of the nationwide shutdown.Methods: Mental health was assessed via online questionnaires among a representative sample of 1,013 U.S. adults on April 9–10, 2020. Rates of clinically significant mental health outcomes were compared between participants who lost their job as a result of COVID-19 restrictions (17.4%) vs. those who did not (82.6%). Bivariate multiple logistic regression identified factors that were predictive of, and protective against, mental health problems.Results: The prevalence of clinically significant symptoms was significantly higher than prior population estimates, ranging from 27 to 32% for depression, 30 to 46% for anxiety disorders, 15 to 18% for acute/post-traumatic stress, 25% for insomnia, and 18% for suicidal ideation. Prevalence estimates were 1.5–1.7 times higher for those who reported job loss due to COVID-19 restrictions than those who did not. Mental health problems were predicted by worry over financial instability, insomnia, social isolation, and alcohol consumption, while getting outside more often, perceived social support, and older age were protective against these problems.Conclusions: During the first 3 weeks of lockdowns/stay-at-home restrictions, mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and acute stress reactions were notably elevated relative to prior population estimates. Job loss related to the nationwide shutdown was particularly associated with poorer mental health. These findings provide a baseline of mental health functioning during the first weeks of the national emergency and lockdown orders in response to COVID-19.

Emotional intelligence training as a protective factor for mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Finally, participants meeting the recommended cutoff score for probable clinical anxiety (STAI‐S > 40; Julian, 2011 ) increased from 11.2% at T1 to 40.0% at T3. This is consistent with evidence that mental health issues increased during the early months of the pandemic (Killgore et al, 2021 ).…”

Tahap Resilien dan Kesihatan Mental Individu di Era Pandemik Covid-19: Satu Kajian Empirikal dalam kalangan Remaja di Malaysia

“…Hasil kajian menunjukkan pandemik Covid 19 memberi kesan terhadap penyesuaian diri dengan persekitaran yang baru dan berlaku gangguan terhadap kehidupan mereka terutamanya dari segi perubahan emosi akibat daripada isolasi sosial. Killgore et al (2021) turut menjalankan kajian ke atas 1013 orang penduduk di Amerika Syarikat bagi mengenal pasti kesan pandemik Covid-19 terhadap kesihatan mental. Dapatan menunjukkan 32% responden berhadapan dengan kemurungan, 46% pula berhadapan dengan kebimbangan, 18% mengalami tekanan, 25% mengalami insomnia dan 18% mempunyai idea untuk membunuh diri.…”

Quality of Life in Danish Patients with Multiple Myeloma during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Quarantine and isolation appear to be associated with poorer mental health such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, avoidance behaviors, depression, fear of own health and socioeconomic distress [2]. Certain groups have shown to be more prone to suffer from traumatic experiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g., women, younger and single adults, unemployed individuals who do not have others to care for them and people worried about financial instability and social isolation [3][4][5]. By contrast, older age and social support seem protective against depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorder and suicidal ideation [5].…”

“…On the other hand, patients with MM are mostly part of the aging population with a mean age of 70 at the time of diagnosis [19]. Since social support protects the elderly against the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic [5], QoL might only be affected among the youngest and those living on their own.…”