Introduction: This study aimed to examine COVID-19 pandemicrelated differences in the prevalence of anxiety and depression among adolescents aged 12–17 years in the United States. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using NSCH data from the United States between 2016 and 2022, including adolescents aged 12–17 years. The pre-pandemic period was defined as 2016–2019, and the pandemic period as 2020–2022. Weighted prevalence and prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated. Results: The prevalence of anxiety was 13.14% (12.6, 13.7) during the prepandemic period and 17.59% (16.95, 18.26) during the pandemic. The PR of anxiety during the pandemic versus the pre-pandemic period was 1.339 (1.266, 1.416), p < 0.001. The prevalence of depression was 8.45% (7.95, 8.97) during the pre-pandemic period and 10.68% (10.16, 11.22) during the pandemic. The PR of depression during the pandemic versus the pre-pandemic period was 1.264 (1.17, 1.367), p < 0.001. Anxiety trends consistently increased across all subgroup analyses, whereas the increase in depression was more pronounced in specific subgroups, including White, female, and Hispanic adolescents. Discussion: Our study identified an increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression among adolescents aged 12–17 years during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. The rise in anxiety prevalence was observed consistently across all subgroups analyzed, including both males and females, as well as across diverse racial and socioeconomic groups. Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety and depression among US adolescents was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings underscore the need for targeted mental health screening, school-based prevention programs, and expanded access to telehealth.
Thakral et al. (Wed,) studied this question.