COVID-19 vaccinations and mental health among U.S. adults: Individual and spillover effects.

RATIONALE: The COVID-19 pandemic led to dramatic increases not only in physical illness, but also in mental health symptoms and disorders among U.S. adults. Although the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines dramatically lowered rates of physical illness and death, little is known about the effects of vaccines on mental health. OBJECTIVES: We assessed both individual and spillover effects of COVID-19 vaccination on mental health disorders, and whether effects of individual vaccination varied based on contextual risks indicated by state infection rates and state vaccination rates. METHODS: Using data from the Household Pulse Survey, we assessed 448,900 adults surveyed within approximately the first six months of the U.S. vaccine rollout (February 3 - August 2, 2021). Coarsened exact matching balanced vaccinated and non-vaccinated participants on demographic and economic characteristics. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses found 7% lowered odds of depression among vaccinated individuals, but no significant difference in anxiety. Reflecting potential spillover effects, state vaccination rates predicted lowered odds of anxiety and depression (1% decrease in odds for each additional 1% of the state population vaccinated). Although state COVID-19 infection rates did not moderate effects of individual vaccination on mental health outcomes, significant interactions indicated that effects of individual vaccination on mental health were stronger in contexts of lower state vaccination rates, and links between state vaccination rates and mental health problems were stronger among unvaccinated individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that COVID-19 vaccinations improved the mental health of adults in the U.S., with lower rates of self-reported mental health disorders both among vaccinated individuals themselves and among other individuals living in the same state, particularly when those individuals were not themselves vaccinated. These direct and spillover effects on mental health expand our understanding of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination for the wellbeing of adults in the U.S.

COVID-19-Related Stressors and Mental Health Disorders Among US Adults.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe mental health repercussions. We examined rates of anxiety and depression in the United States during the pandemic by demographic characteristics, individual stressors, and COVID-19 infection rates and policy contexts. METHODS: We merged data from the April 2020-March 2021 US Household Pulse Survey with state-level data on COVID-19 rates and mitigation policies, including stay-at-home orders, face mask mandates, and restaurant closures. We estimated weighted logistic regression models to assess correlates of anxiety and depression. RESULTS: Rates of anxiety and depression peaked in late 2020 at 39% and 32%, respectively. Food insecurity and disrupted medical care were associated with more than twice the odds of anxiety and depression (food insecurity: odds ratio [OR] = 2.58 for anxiety and 2.61 for depression; disrupted medical care: OR = 2.40 and 2.27). Being not employed (OR = 1.32 for anxiety and 1.45 for depression), uninsured (OR = 1.30 and 1.38), housing insecure (OR = 1.41 and 1.34), and experiencing disruptions in education (OR = 1.28 and 1.25) were linked to 25% to 45% increased odds of anxiety and depression. Increases in state COVID-19 infection rates were associated with significantly heightened odds of anxiety and depression (OR = 1.01 for anxiety and depression), but state mitigation policies were not. CONCLUSIONS: Levels of anxiety and depression rose during the pandemic, particularly among economically vulnerable individuals and those experiencing economic and service disruptions. Future research should assess the effectiveness of policies targeting COVID-19 economic and service disruptions.

Trends in mental health symptoms, service use, and unmet need for services among US adults through the first 8 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to rising morbidity, mortality, and social and economic disruption, likely impairing mental health. The purpose of this study was to track trends in mental health symptoms, use of services, and unmet need for services among US adults, and to delineate variation across demographic strata. Data were drawn from the 2020 US Household Pulse Survey from repeated cross-sectional online surveys collected between April 23 and November 23, 2020 from 1,302,455 US adults, weighted to represent the US population. Survey respondents self-reported their symptoms of anxiety and depression, use of medication and counseling services, and unmet need for services. Reports of probable anxiety and depression rose significantly through the study period, to prevalence rates of 37% and 29%, respectively, by November, 2020, rates more than four times higher than early 2019 US norms. Use of prescription medication, counseling services, and unmet need for mental health services also rose significantly. Prevalence rates of probable mental health disorders were highest among young, less educated, single parent, female, Black and multi-racial respondents, with some vacillation in such disparities over cohorts. Young, female, and moderately educated respondents also reported higher unmet needs for services. Disparities in estimates of mental health disorders and mental health treatment indicate a striking disequilibrium between the potential need for and the use of mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising mental health challenges are being borne largely by young, less advantaged people of color and women, with the potential for expanded interruptions to optimal functioning and societal recovery from COVID-19.

The myriad stressors imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have impaired mental health and wellbeing. Although evidence from early in the pandemic revealed elevated rates of mental health conditions, research has not documented whether psychological disorders have continued to rise as the pandemic has persisted. In this research, we assess data from over 1.3 million US adults who participated in cross-sectional surveys between April and November, 2020 to track trends in mental health disorder symptoms and services. Our results show that reports of anxiety and depression rose significantly from April to November, 2020 to rates more than four-times higher than in 2019. We also found evidence of growing unmet need for mental health services. Rising mental health challenges are being borne largely by young, less advantaged people of color and women. Growing disparities in mental health disorders and treatment raise concerns for psychological, social, and economic recovery from COVID-19.