Mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal probability sample survey of the UK population

By M. Pierce, H. Hope, Tamsin Ford, S. Hatch, M. Hotopf, A. John, Evangelos Kontopantelis, R. Webb, S. Wessely, S. McManus and 1 more. Lancet psychiatry, 2020

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Background The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population mental health is of increasing global concern. We examine changes in adult mental health in the UK population before and during the lockdown. Methods In this secondary analysis of a national, longitudinal cohort study, households that took part in Waves 8 or 9 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) panel, including all members aged 16 or older in April, 2020, were invited to complete the COVID-19 web survey on April 23–30, 2020. Participants who were unable to make an informed decision as a result of incapacity, or who had unknown postal addresses or addresses abroad were excluded. Mental health was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Repeated cross-sectional analyses were done to examine temporal trends. Fixed-effects regression models were fitted to identify within-person change compared with preceding trends. Findings Waves 6–9 of the UKHLS had 53 351 participants. Eligible participants for the COVID-19 web survey were from households that took part in Waves 8 or 9, and 17 452 (41·2%) of 42 330 eligible people participated in the web survey. Population prevalence of clinically significant levels of mental distress rose from 18·9% (95% CI 17·8–20·0) in 2018–19 to 27·3% (26·3–28·2) in April, 2020, one month into UK lockdown. Mean GHQ-12 score also increased over this time, from 11·5 (95% CI 11·3–11·6) in 2018–19, to 12·6 (12·5–12·8) in April, 2020. This was 0·48 (95% CI 0·07–0·90) points higher than expected when accounting for previous upward trends between 2014 and 2018. Comparing GHQ-12 scores within individuals, adjusting for time trends and significant predictors of change, increases were greatest in 18–24-year-olds (2·69 points, 95% CI 1·89–3·48), 25–34-year-olds (1·57, 0·96–2·18), women (0·92, 0·50–1·35), and people living with young children (1·45, 0·79–2·12). People employed before the pandemic also averaged a notable increase in GHQ-12 score (0·63, 95% CI 0·20–1·06). Interpretation By late April, 2020, mental health in the UK had deteriorated compared with pre-COVID-19 trends. Policies emphasising the needs of women, young people, and those with preschool aged children are likely to play an important part in preventing future mental illness. Funding None.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Modeling and Simulation, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/5e18bcad44228aa9aadb92a667141338dd74cde4

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Citations in the corpus

Review: Mental health impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on children and youth – a systematic review (2021, background): “tion reporting clinically significant levels of mental distress rose from 19% in 2018 to 27% in April 2020, one month into the COVID-19 lockdown (Pierce et al., 2020).”
Stress and parenting during the global COVID-19 pandemic (2020, positive): “…in countries outside of the United States, COVID-19 has led to serious mental health burden (e.g., Marazziti, Pozza, Giuseppe, & Conversano, 2020; Pierce et al., 2020), with the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and sleep problems ranging from 18 % to 35 %, especially among younger individuals…”
The Impact of the Coronavirus Lockdown on Mental Health: Evidence from the US (2020, background): “Finally, it contributes to the emerging literature studying the impact of the pandemic on well-being and mental health (Armbruster and Klotzbücher, 2020; Béland et al., 2020; Brooks et al., 2020; Fancourt et al., 2020; Pierce et al., 2020; Giuntella et al., forthcoming; Huebener et al., 2021).”
Longitudinal changes in mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2020, background): “Compared with pre-lockdown, the prevalence of mental health problems was significantly higher in late April 2020 (approximately 1 month into lockdown) and this was particularly pronounced among females and younger age groups (Pierce et al., 2020a).”