How was UK mental health in the first COVID lockdown weeks?
Among 3097 UK adults in April 2020, depression, anxiety, and stress exceeded population norms, especially in younger people, women, and COVID-19 risk groups.
Source
Mental health in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional analyses from a community cohort study
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — Cross-sectional online survey from a UK community cohort recruited 3–30 April 2020, in the first 4–6 weeks of social distancing.
- N
- N=3097 · 3097 adults ≥18 years; 2618 (84.5%) female; 1559 key workers; 649 with COVID-19 clinical risk factors.
- Population
- Self-selected UK adults recruited via mainstream and social media during the first COVID-19 lockdown wave.
- Outcome
- PHQ-9 depression, GAD-7 anxiety, and PSS-4 stress versus population norms, plus associated non-modifiable and modifiable factors.
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What they did
Ran a cross-sectional online survey in a community cohort (3–30 April 2020), scored PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSS-4, compared means with norms, and modelled non-modifiable then modifiable correlates.
What they found
Mean PHQ-9 was 7.69 vs norm 2.91; GAD-7 6.59 vs 2.95; PSS-4 6.48 vs 6.11 (all p<0.0001). Younger age, female sex, and being in a recognised COVID-19 risk group tracked higher scores. Positive mood, loneliness, and worry about catching COVID-19 independently explained outcomes; full models accounted for 54–57% of variance vs 7–14% for demographics alone.
The limits
What it doesn't show
A self-selected, 85% female online sample cannot prove lockdown caused the scores, and a cross-section cannot show who recovered later.
Key terms
- PHQ-9
- 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire for depression over 2 weeks (range 0–27).
- GAD-7
- 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (range 0–21).
- PSS-4
- 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (range 0–16).
- COVID-19 risk group
- Self-identified clinical factors putting someone at increased COVID-19 risk (n=649).
- Key workers
- About 50% (n=1559) of the cohort described themselves as key workers.
- Modifiable factors
- Positive mood, perceived loneliness, and worry about getting COVID-19.
Flashcards
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Quiz yourself
N recruited in April 2020 was about:
Common questions
When were people recruited?
3–30 April 2020, in the first 4–6 weeks of UK social distancing.
How large and how female was the sample?
3097 adults; 2618 (84.5%) female.
Were scores above norms?
Yes—depression, anxiety, and stress all exceeded population norms (p<0.0001).
Which modifiable factors mattered?
Positive mood, perceived loneliness, and worry about getting COVID-19.
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