Even after lockdowns eased, pandemic depression persisted across social classes : studies claim

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is found that more than 1 in 5 US adults reported probable depression in both spring 2020 and spring 2021. It was also found that financial assets helped reduce the persistence of symptoms — but only to a point. A recently published research highlights COVID-19’s continuing mental health effects on the US population.

A year into the pandemic, depression rates remained high, despite hopeful signs of reducing infections and deaths. In April 2021, people were lining up for COVID-19 vaccine shots, doctors were finding better COVID-19 treatments and efforts to reopen society were underway. But by that point, the share of adults in our survey reporting symptoms of depression had risen up to 32.8%.

In 2021 number included 20.3% who had reported symptoms of depression both in April 2020 and in April 2021. This finding suggests that poor mental health driven by the pandemic was both prevalent and persistent.

It was also found that people who had $5,000 or more in savings or a bank account reported less persistent depression. Having more assets, however, did not reduce the depression-inducing stress of losing a job, suffering relationship problems or experiencing financial difficulties during the pandemic.