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Short report
Diverging mental health trends in the postpandemic era: results from the HUNT Study, Norway
  1. Daniel Weiss1,2,
  2. Christopher Lowenstein3,
  3. Erik Reidar Sund1,2,
  4. Daniel Vethe1,2,
  5. Steinar Krokstad1,2
  1. 1Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Levanger, Norway
  2. 2Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust, 7600 Levanger, Norway
  3. 3Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
  1. Correspondence to Daniel Weiss; daniel.weiss{at}ntnu.no

Abstract

Background The purpose of this report is to examine to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic affected pre-existing trends in mental health, with a focus on subgroup differences across age, gender and socioeconomic status.

Methods Our analysis uses data from two survey periods (HUNT4: 2017–2019 and HUNT-COVID: 2021–2023) from the Trøndelag Health Study in Norway. We estimate overall and stratified (by age, sex and educational attainment) prevalence values for above-threshold (≥8) anxiety and depression scores using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. For each outcome, we compare prevalences between HUNT-4 and HUNT-Covid within each subgroup.

Results Above-threshold levels of anxiety were higher among women than men, while the opposite was true for depression. Symptoms generally decrease with age. Between HUNT4 and HUNT-COVID, for both women and men, anxiety symptoms decreased (except among women between 18–29 and 30–39) while depression symptoms increased (except for individuals over 80). Anxiety symptoms decreased across education levels between HUNT4 and HUNT-COVID while depression symptoms increased across education levels.

Conclusion The findings illustrate the negative long-term effects of a shock such as a pandemic while also illustrating the potential positive effects of generous welfare benefits on inequalities in mental health.

  • DEPRESSION
  • COVID-19
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • SOCIAL CLASS

https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2024-222626

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    Footnotes

    • X @c_lowenstein

    • Contributors DW, CL and ES are responsible for methodological contributions and analyses. DW, CL, ES, DV and SK contributed to the conceptual and theoretical design and planning of the study. DW and CL drafted the manuscript, with input and suggestions on interpretation and reporting from ES, DV and SK. ES and SK aided in the acquisition of data. DW is responsible for the overall content as guarantor and certifies that these statements are true.

    • Funding The work in this short report is a part of the project 'The COVID-19 pandemic—risk factors, severity, and the consequences of nationwide infection control measures on public health' (HUNT COVID) and is funded by the Research Council of Norway project number 320851.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.