Young Adult Mental Health: Another COVID-19 Casualty

Depression and anxiety are widespread among young adults, and this has been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. New research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health has found that nearly half of young adults exhibited mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than a third were unable to access mental health therapy.

During the pre-COVID years (from the 2000s to 2017-2018), young adults experienced the highest rates of depression (21%) and anxiety (20%) of any adult age group and their rates increased more than older adults, and this worsened during the COVID timeframe.

The researchers looked at 2,809 adults between the ages of 18 to 25 years old and assessed anxiety/depressive symptoms, mental health care utilization (prescription drug use, counseling, and/or either), and unmet counseling/therapy needs utilizing data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) from June to July 2021.

Among those with mental health symptoms (48%), 39% received treatment, and 36% reported unmet mental health counseling/therapy needs. Mental health symptom rates were highest for female, Hispanic, and uninsured young adults.

According to the study’s authors, their findings support previous research on barriers to care and low mental health care service utilization. The authors highlighted the importance of improving young adult mental health care by addressing barriers such as costs, stigma, confidentiality concerns, and lack of awareness regarding need of care. They also emphasized that healthcare access and utilization patterns must be addressed, as well as the need to increase the size, distribution, and capacity of the mental healthcare workforce and primary care providers to deliver culturally appropriate care.

Recent research indicates that young adult mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with job insecurity and loneliness, and it is crucial to identify and treat young adult anxiety and depression in order to support healthy development during this life stage that affects present and future well-being.