Age-Related Differences in Anxiety and Depression Diagnosis among Adults in Puerto Rico during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 20; no. 11; p. 5922
• Main Authors: Cameron-Maldonado, Stephanie, Pérez, Cynthia M, Fernández-Repollet, Emma, López-Cepero, Andrea
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Age groups; Analysis; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety disorders; Chronic diseases; Chronic illnesses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 Testing; Depression - psychology; Diagnosis; Disease; Divorce; Earthquakes; Education; Humans; Marital status; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Polls & surveys; Privacy; Puerto Rico - epidemiology; Regression analysis; Self report; Social networks; Subgroups; Puerto Rico; United States > US; COVID-19; anxiety; depression; mental health; young adults
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20115922

Residents of Puerto Rico bear a significant burden of mental health disorders, which the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated. However, age-specific data on these disorders during the pandemic in Puerto Rico are scarce. This study evaluated age-related differences in the self-reported diagnosis of depression and anxiety among adults ≥18 years residing in Puerto Rico during the pandemic. An anonymous online survey was administered from December 2020 to February 2021 via Google Forms to measure self-reported sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and physician-diagnosed mental health disorders. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted for each self-reported mental health diagnosis after adjusting for sex, education, income, marital status, chronic diseases, and smoking. Out of 1945 adults, 50% were aged 40 years and over. Nearly 24% of responders self-reported an anxiety diagnosis, whereas 15.9% reported depression. Compared to individuals 50 years and over, those 18-29 y, 30-39 y, and 40-49 y had significantly higher odds of an anxiety diagnosis (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.34-2.55; OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.09-2.07; and OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.01-1.87, respectively). However, no association between age and depression diagnosis was found. Despite anxiety and depression being frequent disorders during the pandemic in this sample, younger adults bear a higher burden of anxiety. Further research is needed to allocate appropriate mental health resources during emergencies according to population subgroups.