COVID-19-Related Stressors and Clinical Mental Health Symptoms in a Northeast US Sample

Mollie A. Monnig (), Samantha E. Clark, Jaqueline C. Avila, Alexander W. Sokolovsky, Hayley Treloar Padovano, Kimberly Goodyear, Elizabeth R. Aston, Carolina L. Haass-Koffler, Jennifer W. Tidey, Jasjit S. Ahluwalia and Peter M. Monti
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Mollie A. Monnig: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Samantha E. Clark: Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Jaqueline C. Avila: Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Alexander W. Sokolovsky: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Hayley Treloar Padovano: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Kimberly Goodyear: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Elizabeth R. Aston: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Carolina L. Haass-Koffler: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Jennifer W. Tidey: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Jasjit S. Ahluwalia: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Peter M. Monti: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: Research has linked specific COVID-19-related stressors to the mental health burden, yet most previous studies have examined only a limited number of stressors and have paid little attention to their clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that individuals who reported greater COVID-19-related stressors would be more likely to have elevated levels of anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and serious psychological distress. Methods: An online survey was administered to a convenience sample from 18 June to 19 July 2020, in US states that were most affected by COVID-19 infections and deaths at the time. Individuals who were 18 or older and residents of five Northeast US states were eligible to participate (N = 1079). In preregistered analyses, we used logistic regression models to test the associations of COVID-19 stressors with symptoms on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and K6, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Results: COVID-19-related stressors (i.e., essential worker status, worry about COVID-19 infection, knowing someone hospitalized by COVID-19, having children under 14 at home, loneliness, barriers to environmental rewards, food insecurity, loss of employment) were associated with meeting thresholds (i.e., positive screening) for anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and/or serious psychological distress. Loneliness and barriers to environmental rewards were associated with all mental health outcomes. Limitations: We used a non-probability sample and cannot assume temporal precedence of stressors with regard to development of mental health symptoms. Conclusions: These findings link specific stressors to the mental health burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; COVID-19 related stressors; clinical mental health symptoms; psychological distress; anxiety; posttraumatic stress; loneliness; food insecurity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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