Table 2.
Unconditional means and differences in the likelihood of experiencing at-risk mental health symptoms
| Prepandemic cohorts 1 and 2 (n=573) | Postpandemic cohorts 3 and 4 (n=803) | Difference (percentage points, 95% CI) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | ||||
| Anxiety above risk threshold | 85/573 (14·8%) | 135/803 (16·8%) | 2 (−2 to 6) | 0·32 |
| Depression above risk threshold | 151/573 (26·4%) | 225/803 (28·0%) | 2 (−3 to 7) | 0·49 |
| Parenting Stress Index above risk threshold (73rd percentile was used as the cutoff) | 169/573 (29·5%) | 281/803 (35·0%) | 6 (0·5 to 11) | 0·032 |
| 1-month follow-up | ||||
| Anxiety above risk threshold | 87/553 (15·7%) | 68/765 (8·9%) | −7 (−10 to −3) | 0·0001 |
| Depression above risk threshold | 135/553 (24·4%) | 149/765 (19·5%) | −5 (−9 to −0·4) | 0·032 |
| Parenting Stress Index above risk threshold (73rd percentile was used as the cutoff) | 184/553 (33·3%) | 232/765 (30·3%) | −3 (−80 to 20) | 0·25 |
| 8-month follow-up | ||||
| Anxiety above risk threshold | 44/522 (8·4%) | 159/723 (22·0%) | 14 (10 to 18) | <0·0001 |
| Depression above risk threshold | 99/522 (19·0%) | 174/723 (24·1%) | 5 (0·4 to 10) | 0·032 |
| Parenting Stress Index above risk threshold (73rd percentile was used as the cutoff) | 141/522 (27·0%) | 267/723 (36·9%) | 10 (5 to 15) | 0·0002 |
Data are number of participants (%) with mental health symptoms above the at-risk thresholds in the prepandemic and postpandemic cohorts, mean-difference test between the prepandemic and postpandemic cohorts in percentage points (95% CI), and p value of the difference. Cohorts are referred to as the prepandemic and postpandemic cohorts, signaling that all assessments were administered before the pandemic for cohorts 1 and 2, but the second follow-up for cohorts 3 and 4 was administered 2–5 weeks into the pandemic. Data on the continuous T-scores at each assessment are reported in the appendix 2 (p 5). Statistics are based on the original sample at baseline, and the smaller samples observed at 1-month and 8-month follow-ups due to attrition.