Researchers at the Pew Research Center have surveyed American adults between March 2020 and September 2022, revealing that at least four-in-ten adults reported experiencing high levels of mental distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the survey, the majority of respondents, or 58 percent, who belonged to the young adult age range, reported high levels of psychological distress at least once.
“While many Americans faced challenges with mental health before the coronavirus pandemic, public health officials warned in early 2020 that the pandemic could exacerbate psychological distress,” according to the Pew report. “The negative effects of the outbreak have hit some people harder than others, with women, lower-income adults, and Black and Hispanic adults among the groups who have faced disparate health or financial impacts.”
“Americans’ personal levels of concern about getting or spreading the coronavirus have continued to decline over the course of 2022. The coronavirus is one of many potential sources of stress, including the economy and worries about the future of the nation.”
Furthermore, the survey also asked respondents about their sleep quality, and it was widely reported that sleep problems and anxiety accompanied psychological distress during the pandemic.
“Trouble sleeping is one of the most common forms of distress measured in the surveys. In the latest survey, about two-thirds of adults (64%) reported trouble sleeping at least some or a little of the time during the past week. A similar share (61%) said they had felt nervous, anxious or on edge,” the Pew authors determined in their report.
