Patterns and predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms within a population-based sample of adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in Michigan

• Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Vol. 58; no. 7; pp. 1099 - 1108
• Main Authors: Titus, Andrea R., Mezuk, Briana, Hirschtick, Jana L., McKane, Patricia, Elliott, Michael R., Fleischer, Nancy L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Anxiety; Comorbidity; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Demographics; Depression; Diagnosis; Epidemiology; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental health; Michigan; Original Paper; Pandemics; Psychiatry; Michigan; United States > US; COVID-19; Depression; Anxiety; Epidemiology; Mental health
• ISSN: 0933-7954; 1433-9285
• DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02453-9

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging impacts on mental health, however, less is known about predictors of mental health outcomes among adults who have experienced a COVID-19 diagnosis. We examined the intersection of demographic, economic, and illness-related predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms within a population-based sample of adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S. state of Michigan early in the pandemic. Methods Data were from a population-based survey of Michigan adults who experienced a COVID-19 diagnosis prior to August 1, 2020 ( N  = 1087). We used weighted prevalence estimates and multinomial logistic regression to examine associations between mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbid depressive/anxiety symptoms) and demographic characteristics, pandemic-associated changes in accessing basic needs (accessing food/clean water and paying important bills), self-reported COVID-19 symptom severity, and symptom duration. Results Relative risks for experiencing poor mental health outcomes varied by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and income. In adjusted models, experiencing a change in accessing basic needs associated with the pandemic was associated with higher relative risks for anxiety and comorbid anxiety/depressive symptoms. Worse COVID-19 symptom severity was associated with a higher burden of comorbid depressive/anxiety symptoms. “Long COVID” (symptom duration greater than 60 days) was associated with all outcomes. Conclusion Adults diagnosed with COVID-19 may face overlapping risk factors for poor mental health outcomes, including pandemic-associated disruptions to household and economic wellbeing, as well as factors related to COVID-19 symptom severity and duration. An integrated approach to treating depressive/anxiety symptoms among COVID-19 survivors is warranted.