Young Adult Anxiety or Depressive Symptoms and Mental Health Service Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: Young adult anxiety/depression (mental health) symptoms have increased from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed young adult (aged 18-25 years) anxiety/depressive symptoms, mental health care utilization (prescription drug use, counseling, and/or either), and unmet counseling/therapy needs utilizing the national Household Pulse Survey data from June to July 2021. METHODS: Young adult (n = 2,809) rates and subgroup differences in mental health symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 and/or Patient Health Questionnaire-2) were assessed, as were mental health care utilization and unmet counseling/therapy needs. RESULTS: In total, 48% of young adults had mental health symptoms. Among those, 39% received treatment and 36% reported unmet mental health counseling/therapy needs. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight young adults' ongoing mental health needs and low services receipt. Interventions and further research to reduce barriers to seeking and utilizing mental health care and to increase the capacity of providers to deliver culturally appropriate mental health care are needed.

Young Adult Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccinations.

PURPOSE: Young adults have the highest cumulative incidence of COVID-19 infection in the country. Using March 2021 Household Pulse Survey data, an ongoing, cross-sectional nationally representative survey, we examined U.S. young adult intention to accept COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS: Young adult (ages 18-25 years) Household Pulse Survey participants were queried on intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and related perspectives (N = 5,082). RESULTS: Most unvaccinated respondents (76%) indicated an intention to become vaccinated. The most frequently cited reasons for potentially rejecting vaccination included desire to wait and see if the vaccine is safe (56%); concerns over side effects (53%); and believing others are in greater need of the vaccine (44%). CONCLUSIONS: With 24% of young adults hesitant to accept a COVID-19 vaccine, public health interventions should target reasons for hesitancy, address concerns about safety and side effects, and underscore the importance of vaccinations for this population.

Medical Vulnerability of Young Adults to Severe COVID-19 Illness-Data From the National Health Interview Survey.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 morbidity and mortality reports in the U.S. have not included findings specific to young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a list of conditions and associated behaviors, including smoking, conferring vulnerability to severe COVID-19 illness regardless of age. This study examines young adults' medical vulnerability to severe COVID-19 illness, focusing on smoking-related behavior. METHODS: A young adult subsample (aged 18-25 years) was developed from the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative data set, pooling years 2016-2018. The medical vulnerability measure (yes vs. no) was developed, guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical indicators. The estimates of medical vulnerability were developed for the full sample, the nonsmoking sample, and the individual risk indicators. Logistic regressions were conducted to examine differences by sex, race/ethnicity, income, and insurance. RESULTS: Medical vulnerability was 32% for the full sample and half that (16%) for the nonsmoking sample. Patterns and significance of some subgroup differences differed between the full and the nonsmoking sample. Male vulnerability was (33%) higher than female (30%; 95% CI: .7-.9) in the full sample, but lower in nonsmokers: male (14%) versus female (19%; 95% CI: 1.2-1.7). The white subgroup had higher vulnerability than Hispanic and Asian subgroups in both samples-full sample: white (31%) versus Hispanic (24%; 95% CI: .6-.9) and Asian (18%; 95% CI: .4-.5); nonsmokers: white (17%) versus Hispanic (13%; 95% CI: .06-.9) and Asian (10%; 95% CI: .3-.8). CONCLUSIONS: Notably, lower young adult medical vulnerability within nonsmokers versus the full sample underscores the importance of smoking prevention and mitigation.