In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers estimated patterns of psychological distress and differences by sociodemographic characteristics amongst adult individuals in England between 2020 and 2022.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a mental health crisis in England, causing increased living costs and stressors comparable to infection risk, work closures, and financial strain.

The pandemic has also exacerbated international emergencies, comparable to the climate crisis and the Ukraine war, causing psychological distress in vulnerable groups. Understanding long-term shifts in mental health burden is crucial for service needs.

Study: Trends in Psychological Distress Amongst Adults in England, 2020-2022. Image Credit: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock.com

In regards to the study

In the current cross-sectional study, researchers investigated mental health changes amongst adults residing in England between 2020 and 2022.

Data were obtained from the National Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit survey-based study, conducted monthly amongst households of adult residents of England aged ≥18.0 years from April 2020 to December 2022. The study final result measure was previous-month psychological distress, assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10).

The team modeled trends in psychological distress of moderate-severe intensity (scores ≥five) and severe intensity (scores ≥13.0), testing interactions with participants’ age, sex, smoking habits, occupational grade, alcohol consumption, and pediatric member of the family count.

In total, 1,509 individuals (2.80%) were excluded from the evaluation because of inadequate data on psychological distress.

Log-binomial regression modeling was performed to find out the associations between psychological distress and the calendar month, and the prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated. Alcohol intake was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C).

Results and discussion

Data were obtained from 51,861 adult individuals whose mean age was 49, and 51% (n=26,609) were female. Among the many participants, 30.0% and 6.2% experienced any-intensity and severe-intensity psychological distress, respectively.

Younger, female, and fewer socioeconomically privileged adults were more more likely to experience psychological distress, in accordance with previous studies.

The team observed a minor reduction in participants documenting psychological distress (35% to 32%; PR, 0.9) over the study period.

A big decrease was observed in any-intensity discomfort from April 2020 to December 2022 amongst individuals aged ≥65.0 years (PR, 0.6), women (PR, 0.9), those belonging to occupational social grade C1 (PR, 0.9), those having no children (PR, 0.9), non-smokers or former-smokers (PR, 0.9), and non-drinkers or light alcohol drinkers (PR, 0.9). In contrast, the proportion of people experiencing severe psychological discomfort was 46% higher (PR, 1.5).

The patterns varied by sociodemographic aspects, alcohol intake, and smoking; nonetheless, the rise in severe psychological distress was noted amongst all subgroups (PR values ranged between 1.2 and a couple of.2), apart from older individuals aged ≥65.0 years (PR, 0.8); the worsening of distress was especially pronounced from late 2021 onwards amongst individuals aged below 25.0 years, from 14.0% to twenty.0% from December of 2021 to December of the next yr.

As well as, severe distress increased amongst current smokers and individuals belonging to social grades D and E.

Smaller increases were reported for distress amongst 25-to-34-year-olds (from 10% in December 2021 to 12% in December 2022), 35-to-49-year-olds (from 6.00% in December 2021 to 7.20% in December of the next yr), and 50-to-64-year-olds (from 5.00% in December 2021 to six.20% in December of the subsequent yr).

Nonetheless, the rates remained unaltered amongst individuals aged ≥65.0 years (2.50% at each time points). Between April 2022 and December 2022, severe psychological distress amongst heavy drinkers increased from 6.2% to 10%, whereas the degrees remained stable amongst non- or light drinkers.

Severe psychological distress was least prevalent amongst individuals aged ≥65 and most prevalent amongst individuals aged between 18 and 24.

Older adults could have benefited probably the most from COVID-19 vaccinations, and younger adults could have been more impacted than older ones by stressors comparable to the increased financial crisis (since they sometimes have less disposable income), the Ukraine war, and climatic changes.

No matter the explanation, the proven fact that one in five young individuals experienced severe distress is concerning and warrants appropriate actions by policymakers.

The increased prevalence of distress amongst probably the most socioeconomically deprived could possibly be because they were hit earlier by the economic crisis. Increased stress from having children could possibly be because of the extra burden on household budgets and concerns over climate hazards.

The rise in distress levels amongst alcohol consumers could possibly be since the individuals could have used alcohol as a coping strategy for stressors.

Conclusion

Overall, the study findings showed that the proportion of adults reporting psychological distress in December 2022 was just like that in April 2020, an especially uncertain period of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak. Still, the proportion reporting severe psychological distress increased by 46%.

The findings indicated a worsening of mental health amongst residents of England, emphasizing the importance of addressing the basis cause and effectively funding mental health care.