December 7, 2020

Explaining the Rise and Fall of Psychological Distress during the COVID‐19 Crisis in the United States: Longitudinal Evidence from the Understanding America Study

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Mental Health and Personal Impact

Keywords (Tags): mental health personal impact

An analysis of longitudinal data on the rise and fall of psychological distress during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US showed that mediating factors accounted for 70% of the increase in distress between March 10^th‐18^th and April 1^st‐14^th, and 46.4% of the decline in distress between April 1^st‐14^th and early June. Mediating factors included perceived infection and death risk, perceived financial risk, lifestyle changes, perceived discrimination related to the virus, and changes in employment and substance use. Changes in perceived health risks were most important in explaining changes in distress, followed by lifestyle changes and perceived financial risks.

Robinson and Daly. (Dec 5, 2020). Explaining the Rise and Fall of Psychological Distress during the COVID‐19 Crisis in the United States: Longitudinal Evidence from the Understanding America Study. British Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12493