IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v21y2023i1p33-d1307704.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Young Adults at the National Epicenter of the COVID-19 Outbreak: Understanding the Impact and Future Challenges of Social Distancing on Mental Health Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Sana Malik

    (School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA)

  • Ijeoma Opara

    (Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA)

  • David T. Lardier

    (Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Jessica Younger

    (School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA)

  • R. Neil Greene

    (Center on Alcohol, Substance Use And Addiction (CASAA), University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

Abstract

Objectives. To understand the role and future implications of social distancing on mental health and substance use in young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 living in high-disease-prevalent areas of New York. Methods. Participants completed a self-administered online survey through Qualtrics. Results. 43.9% of the sample met criteria for moderate or severe anxiety, and 53.1% of the sample met criteria for moderate to severe depression. 76.1% of the sample experienced both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Despite this, the rates of lifetime mental health diagnoses, treatment, and access to mental health services were low. Rates of depression and anxiety differed across socio-demographic variables (gender, income, sexuality, education, and insurance status). Experiencing severe symptoms of the COVID-19 virus, poor coping skills, loneliness, increased alcohol use, and sleep disturbances were linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, or both. Conclusion. As the first epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States, New York represents an important location for prevention researchers to learn about how COVID-19 affected a diverse population of young adults. It is essential that researchers and practitioners proactively develop early and appropriate interventions to address the ongoing mental health crisis and also plan for future crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Sana Malik & Ijeoma Opara & David T. Lardier & Jessica Younger & R. Neil Greene, 2023. "Young Adults at the National Epicenter of the COVID-19 Outbreak: Understanding the Impact and Future Challenges of Social Distancing on Mental Health Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2023:i:1:p:33-:d:1307704
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/1/33/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/1/33/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alessandra Patrono & Azzurra Invernizzi & Donatella Placidi & Giuseppa Cagna & Stefano Calza & Manuela Oppini & Elza Rechtman & Demetrios M. Papazaharias & Abraham Reichenberg & Roberto G. Lucchini & , 2022. "Impact of COVID-19-Related Social Isolation on Behavioral Outcomes in Young Adults Residing in Northern Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Hideki Toya & Mark Skidmore, 2014. "Do Natural Disasters Enhance Societal Trust?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 255-279, May.
    3. Des Jarlais, D.C. & Lyles, C. & Crepaz, N., 2004. "Improving the Reporting Quality of Nonrandomized Evaluations of Behavioral and Public Health Interventions: The TREND Statement," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(3), pages 361-366.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xu Xu & Kevin Sylwester, 2016. "Environmental Quality and International Migration," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 69(1), pages 157-180, February.
    2. Giuseppe La Torre & Remigio Bova & Rosario Andrea Cocchiara & Cristina Sestili & Anna Tagliaferri & Simona Maggiacomo & Camilla Foschi & William Zomparelli & Maria Vittoria Manai & David Shaholli & Va, 2023. "What Are the Determinants of the Quality of Systematic Reviews in the International Journals of Occupational Medicine? A Methodological Study Review of Published Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-12, January.
    3. Hernán Bejarano & Joris Gillet & Ismael Rodriguez‐Lara, 2018. "Do Negative Random Shocks Affect Trust and Trustworthiness?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 85(2), pages 563-579, October.
    4. Penelope Love & Jillian Whelan & Colin Bell & Jane McCracken, 2019. "Measuring Rural Food Environments for Local Action in Australia: A Systematic Critical Synthesis Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-21, July.
    5. Paul Montgomery & Caitlin R Ryus & Catherine S Dolan & Sue Dopson & Linda M Scott, 2012. "Sanitary Pad Interventions for Girls' Education in Ghana: A Pilot Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(10), pages 1-7, October.
    6. Wai Quin Ng & Jane Neill, 2006. "Evidence for early oral feeding of patients after elective open colorectal surgery: a literature review," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(6), pages 696-709, June.
    7. Eiji Yamamura & Yoshiro Tsutsui & Chisako Yamane & Shoko Yamane & Nattavudh Powdthavee, 2015. "Trust and Happiness: Comparative Study Before and After the Great East Japan Earthquake," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 919-935, September.
    8. Alm James & Barreto Raul A., 2024. "Trust in Government in a Changing World: Shocks, Tax Evasion, and Economic Growth," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 24(1), pages 439-487, January.
    9. Natalia Stanulewicz & Emily Knox & Melanie Narayanasamy & Noureen Shivji & Kamlesh Khunti & Holly Blake, 2019. "Effectiveness of Lifestyle Health Promotion Interventions for Nurses: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-36, December.
    10. Ivo Steimanis & Max Burger & Bernd Hayo & Andreas Landmann & Bjoern Vollan, 2023. "A Storm Between Two Waves: Recovery Processes, Social Dynamics, and Heterogeneous Effects of Typhoon Haiyan on Social Preferences," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202319, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    11. Zhichao Jin & Danghui Yu & Luoman Zhang & Hong Meng & Jian Lu & Qingbin Gao & Yang Cao & Xiuqiang Ma & Cheng Wu & Qian He & Rui Wang & Jia He, 2010. "A Retrospective Survey of Research Design and Statistical Analyses in Selected Chinese Medical Journals in 1998 and 2008," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(5), pages 1-4, May.
    12. Bastiaanssen, Inge L.W. & Delsing, Marc J.M.H. & Kroes, Gert & Engels, Rutger C.M.E. & Veerman, Jan W., 2014. "Group care worker interventions and child problem behavior in residential youth care: Course and bidirectional associations," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 48-56.
    13. Chunli Wei & Qingqing Li & Ziyi Lian & Yijun Luo & Shiqing Song & Hong Chen, 2022. "Variation in Public Trust, Perceived Societal Fairness, and Well-Being before and after COVID-19 Onset—Evidence from the China Family Panel Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, September.
    14. Winter, James C. & Darmstadt, Gary L. & Davis, Jennifer, 2021. "The role of piped water supplies in advancing health, economic development, and gender equality in rural communities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    15. Mavisakalyan, Astghik & Otrachshenko, Vladimir & Popova, Olga, 2024. "Natural Disasters and Acceptance of Intimate Partner Violence: The Global Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 17172, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. KASHIWAGI Yuzuka & TODO Yasuyuki, 2021. "How Do Disasters Change Inter-Group Perceptions? Evidence from the 2018 Sulawesi Earthquake," Discussion papers 21082, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    17. Gualtieri, Giovanni & Nicolini, Marcella & Sabatini, Fabio, 2019. "Repeated shocks and preferences for redistribution," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 53-71.
    18. Uslaner, Eric & yamamura, Eiji, 2016. "Disaster and political trust: The Japan Tsunami and Earthquake of 2011," MPRA Paper 70527, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Shu‐Fang Chang & Shu‐Ching Chiu, 2020. "Effect of resistance training on quality of life in older people with sarcopenic obesity living in long‐term care institutions: A quasi‐experimental study," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(13-14), pages 2544-2556, July.
    20. Chen, Na & Yang, Huan, 2024. "From rural to urban: Clan, urbanization and trust," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2023:i:1:p:33-:d:1307704. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.