Journal Article

Depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

Danese, A., Krebs, G., Maughan, B., Rogers, H. C., Nicholson, T. R., Stevelink, S. A. M., Lee, Y. T., Monssen, D., Vassos, E., Hotopf, M., Parsons, C. E., Schmidt, U., Martineau, A. R., Hegemann, L., Rayner, C., ter Kuile, A., Palmos, A. B., Chaudhuri, K. Ray, Bright, S., Adey, B. N., Mundy, J., Richardson, M. P., Kalsi, G., Peel, A. J., Holt, H., Davies, M. R., Linger, R., Breen, G., Chinnery, P. F., Pollak, T. A., Moukhtarian, T., Purves, K. L., Young, K. S., Hirsch, C., Bristow, S., Eley, T. C., Lin, Y., Al-Chalabi, A., Veale, D., Ward, C., York, K., Thompson, K. N., Bradley, J. R., Papadia, S., Hübel, C., Kingston, N., Stirrups, K. E.

2023

Overview

BackgroundThe impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health is still being unravelled. It is important to identify which individuals are at greatest risk of worsening symptoms. This study aimed to examine changes in depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms using prospective and retrospective symptom change assessments, and to find and examine the effect of key risk factors.MethodOnline questionnaires were administered to 34 465 individuals (aged 16 years or above) in April/May 2020 in the UK, recruited from existing cohorts or via social media. Around one-third (n = 12 718) of included participants had prior diagnoses of depression or anxiety and had completed pre-pandemic mental health assessments (between September 2018 and February 2020), allowing prospective investigation of symptom change.ResultsProspective symptom analyses showed small decreases in depression (PHQ-9: −0.43 points) and anxiety [generalised anxiety disorder scale – 7 items (GAD)-7: −0.33 points] and increases in PTSD (PCL-6: 0.22 points). Conversely, retrospective symptom analyses demonstrated significant large increases (PHQ-9: 2.40; GAD-7 = 1.97), with 55% reported worsening mental health since the beginning of the pandemic on a global change rating. Across both prospective and retrospective measures of symptom change, worsening depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms were associated with prior mental health diagnoses, female gender, young age and unemployed/student status.ConclusionsWe highlight the effect of prior mental health diagnoses on worsening mental health during the pandemic and confirm previously reported sociodemographic risk factors. Discrepancies between prospective and retrospective measures of changes in mental health may be related to recall bias-related underestimation of prior symptom severity.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Anxiety / Anxiety disorders / Blood & organ donations / Change agents / Changes / Coping / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Discrepancies / Ethnicity / Generalized anxiety disorder / Longitudinal studies / Measures / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health / Minority & ethnic groups / Obsessive compulsive disorder / Original / Original Article / Pandemics / Population / Post traumatic stress disorder / Questionnaires / Recall / Research ethics / Risk factors / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Social media / Sociodemographics / Symptoms / Trauma / Unemployed people / Young adults