Abstract
Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic are known to exacerbate depression and anxiety, though their temporal trajectories remain under-investigated. The present study aims to investigate fluctuations in depression and anxiety using the COVID-19 pandemic as a model crisis. A total of 1512 adults living in the United States enrolled in this online study beginning April 2, 2020 and were assessed weekly for 10 weeks (until June 4, 2020). We measured depression and anxiety using the Zung Self-Rating Depression scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (state subscale), respectively, along with demographic and COVID-related surveys. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine factors contributing to longitudinal changes in depression and anxiety. We found that depression and anxiety levels were high in early April, but declined over time. Being female, younger age, lower-income, and previous psychiatric diagnosis correlated with higher overall levels of anxiety and depression; being married additionally correlated with lower overall levels of depression, but not anxiety. Importantly, worsening of COVID-related economic impact and increase in projected pandemic duration exacerbated both depression and anxiety over time. Finally, increasing levels of informedness correlated with decreasing levels of depression, while increased COVID-19 severity (i.e., 7-day change in cases) and social media use were positively associated with anxiety over time. These findings not only provide evidence for overall emotional adaptation during the initial weeks of the pandemic, but also provide insight into overlapping, yet distinct, factors contributing to depression and anxiety throughout the first wave of the pandemic.
Highlights
In early 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) devastated the globe with catastrophic health and economic consequences
Increased suicide rates were observed over the course of the 1918 Influenza pandemic, which racked our social, economic, and medical spheres in ways similar to the COVID-19 pandemic [1]
Research into mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that the current crisis is no exception
Summary
In early 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) devastated the globe with catastrophic health and economic consequences. Other studies have shown that behavioral factors contribute to resilience as well: during the COVID-19 pandemic, a cross-sectional study of an Irish sample showed that emotional wellbeing is positively associated with participation in outdoor activities, and negatively associated with excessive intake of COVID-related social media content [11] It remains unclear whether individuals will demonstrate such emotional adaptability over time during a prolonged crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic; and if so, what factors might contribute to such adaptation. Two mixed-effects general linear models were conducted to elucidate the variables contributing to fluctuations in depression and anxiety over the 10week period These analyses constitute one of the first investigations into both the static demographic (e.g., age, male/female) and dynamic (e.g., economic impact of COVID) factors associated with mental health during COVID-19
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