Levels of Severity of Depressive Symptoms Among At-Risk Groups in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Importance: An immediate research priority is to investigate and monitor the psychological well-being among high-risk groups during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Objective: To examine levels of severity of depressive symptoms over time among individuals with high risk in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study is part of an ongoing large panel study of adults aged 18 years and older residing in the UK, the COVID-19 Social Study, established on March 21, 2020. Data analysis was conducted in May 2020. Exposures: Sociodemographic risk factors included belonging to the Black, Asian, and minority racial/ethnic communities, low socioeconomic position (SEP), and essential worker roles (eg, workers in health and social care, education, childcare, or key public services). Health-related and psychosocial risk factors included preexisting physical and mental health conditions, experience of psychological or physical abuse, and low social support. Main Outcomes and Measures: Depressive symptoms were measured on 7 occasions from March 21 to April 2, 2020, using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Group-based depressive symptom trajectories were derived using latent growth mixture modeling. Results: The analytical sample comprised 51417 adults aged 18 years and older (mean [SD] age, 48.8 [16.8] years; 26276 [51.1%] women; 6145 members [12.0%] of Black, Asian, and minority racial/ethnic communities). Among these, 17143 participants (33.3%) were in the lowest SEP quartile, and 11342 participants (22.1%) were classified as essential workers. Three levels of severity of depressive symptoms were identified: low (30850 participants [60.0%]), moderate (14911 participants [29.0%]), and severe (5656 participants [11.0%]). After adjusting for covariates, experiences of physical or psychological abuse (odds ratio [OR], 13.16; 95% CI, 12.95-13.37; P