Psychosocial and Economic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Veteran Men and Women.

Abstract

Purpose: The psychosocial impacts of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on women Veterans' mental health compared to men are understudied, with few studies examining the differential impact of COVID-19 stressors on depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, little is known about whether social support may buffer against adverse pandemic-related outcomes for this population. In the present study, we examined (1) gender differences in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on numerous life domains, including economic, work, home, social, and health; (2) how pandemic impacts in these domains were associated with depression and PTSD symptoms; and (3) whether social support buffered against worse mental health outcomes. Materials and Methods: Data from 1530 Veterans enrolled in the Longitudinal Investigation of Gender, Health, and Trauma (LIGHT) study were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple groups' path analyses. Results: Women reported higher pandemic impact scores across life domains. For both men and women, higher health impacts were associated with increased PTSD symptoms; differential findings emerged for depressive symptoms. Home and economic impacts were associated with increased depression for both men and women, social and health impacts were associated with depression for women, and work impacts were associated with depression for men. Higher social support was associated with decreased depressive symptoms for both men and women; however, social support moderated the relationship between pandemic impacts and both PTSD and depressive symptoms for women only. Conclusions: Findings highlight the value of social support in mitigating effects of pandemic-related stress, particularly for women Veterans.