Work

Prevalence of Psychological Distress Among Working-Age Adults in the United States, 1999–2018

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Objectives. Rising distress has been suggested as a cause of recent increases in deaths due to suicide and drug and alcohol related causes among working-age adults. This study tested whether the prevalence of reported psychological distress has increased among working-age adults in the United States between 1999 and 2018. Methods. Psychological distress in the past 30 days was assessed using the Kessler-6 Distress Scale completed by 403,223 participants aged 25-64 across 20 annual waves of the National Health Interview Study conducted from 1999-2018. Overall and demographic-specific trends were examined. Results. The prevalence of psychological distress in the past 30 days increased from 16.1% in 1999/2000 to 22.6% in 2017/2108 an increase of 6.5 percentage points (95% CI, 5.6-7.3) or 40% from 1999–2000 levels. Statistically significant increases in the prevalence of distress were observed across all age, sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment subgroups examined. Rates of serious psychological distress increased from 2.7% in 1999/2000 to 4% in 2017/2018 an increase of 1.3 percentage points (95% CI, 0.9-1.6). Conclusions. Since 1999 there has been an upward trend in reported psychological distress among working-aged adults in the United States.

Source: American Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2022.306828

Author: Michael Daly

Institution: National University of Ireland, Maynooth

Language: English

Topic: Mental Health Treatment and Access

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Funder: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention