Anxiety and depressive symptoms in U.S. Census Bureau assessments of adults: Trends from 2019 to fall 2020 across demographic groups.

BACKGROUND

Events from spring to fall 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes, and social unrest, may have impacted mental health, particularly mood and anxiety disorders. This study compares rates of positive screens for anxiety and depressive disorders in separate U.S. national samples from 2019 and April to September 2020. The analysis includes trends within demographic groups, which have received scant attention.

METHODS

Nationally representative probability samples of U.S. adults administered by the U.S. Census Bureau (n = 1.3 million) completed the PHQ-2 screening for depressive disorder and the GAD-2 screening for anxiety disorder.

RESULTS

U.S. adults in 2020 were four times more likely to screen positive for depressive and anxiety disorders than in 2019, with the largest increases among males, 18- to 29-year-olds (for depression), Asian Americans, and parents with children in the home. Anxiety and depression rose and fell in tandem with the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., as well as increasing during the early June weeks of racial justice protests.

CONCLUSIONS

Screens for mood and anxiety disorders remained at elevated levels in spring, summer, and fall 2020, especially among certain groups.