Self-reported mental health in the United States: Spatial structure before and after the COVID-19 pandemic across age groups

Abstract Purpose. This study examines the eventual impact of COVID-19 on self-reported mental health in the mainland USA with two main aims. First, to evaluate the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic mental health spatial distribution. Second, to contrast spatial data across three age groups, young (18-44 years), middle-aged (45-65 years), and old (older than 65 years). Methods. We analysed the autocorrelation Moran’s I structure with data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). A Monte Carlo approach was applied to evaluate the statistical significance of global and local Moran’s I autocorrelation. Results. The main findings indicate a spatial dependence of general mental health before and after the COVID-19. No spatial structure emerged regarding young, middle-aged, and old groups. Conclusion. The spatial structure of the variability in mental health over time from 2019 to 2021, only showed a meaningful configuration for the general population, whereas it was unsupported for young, middle-aged, and old age groups.