Professor James Druckman on how mental health remains on the downturn as the pandemic, economy improve

With states reopening and vaccination rates on the incline, many are hopeful that the pandemic is finally coming to an end. However, a national survey conducted by researchers from Northwestern, Harvard, Northeastern, and Rutgers found that depression and other mental health issues have not improved since the winter of 2020. James Druckman, an IPR specialist and a political science professor, has been co-authoring and researching implications of  COVID-19 since its outbreak and played a key role in  Northwestern’s branch of the research in relating the pandemic to mental health.

According to the survey of over 21,000 individuals, young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 were hit particularly hard, with 42% showing signs of moderate depression during the spring of 2021.

The study showed that parents with children at home have elevated rates of depression (35%) versus adults without children (25%); adults without a college degree report higher levels of depression (30%) than adults with a college degree (23%); those earning less than $30,000 per year have the highest levels of depression (35%) compared to other earners.

Out of those who have been vaccinated compared to those who have not been vaccinated, those vaccinated reported lower levels of depression (32%) compared to the 51% of people who reported being depressed who were not vaccinated.

Overall, the largest population of those depressed remains young adults, many of whom had significant life milestones taken away from them due to the pandemic.

“This is sobering news and likely reflects that young people are already dealing with much uncertainty at that stage of life; the pandemic thrown in exacerbates that,” said Druckman.

To learn more, see the Institute for Policy Research’s article The Economy and Pandemic Are Improving, Mental Health Is Not.