12% to 15% of US adults report serious psychological distress amid COVIDAmong 1,068 US adults surveyed about their mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 12% to 15% reported serious psychological distress that persisted throughout the study period, mostly among young adults, low-income respondents, and Hispanic participants.The data were published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.A team led by Johns Hopkins University researchers fielded the survey in four waves: Apr 7 to 13, Jul 7 to 13, and Nov 11 to 30, 2020, and Jul 26 to Aug 16, 2021, all times of increasing COVID-19 cases.
Participants were drawn from the probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Average respondent age was 49 years, 48% were men, 18% were Hispanic, and 13% were Black.The team measured psychological distress with the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, in which a score of 13 or higher on a scale of 0 to 24 indicates severe distress.
Participants who reported any psychological symptoms were asked how often they saw a health professional for treatment.Of the 1,068 sample members, 129 (12%) to 157 (15%) reported serious psychological distress, with no statistically significant differences in prevalence over all survey waves.
For comparison, before the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, the psychological distress was consistently 3% to 4%.During all four survey waves, adults aged 18 to 29 years, those with an annual household income less than $35,000, and Hispanic participants reported the highest prevalence.Of the 242 respondents (22.7%) with serious distress during at least one survey period, 125 (51.7%) saw a health professional for their symptoms.