Table 1.
Standardized mean change in symptoms when mental health was measured earlier vs. later in the pandemic.
| Symptom | March-April effect estimate | May – July effect estimate | Symptoms by month time trend analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anxiety disorder symptoms (n = 52) | n = 29, SMC = .140 [95% CI: -.024 to .303, I2 = 97.4%] | n = 23, SMC = .051 [95% CI: -.037 to .139, I2 = 87.9%] | Coefficient = -.067 [95% CI: -.124 to -.009] |
| Depression and mood disorder symptoms (n = 58) | n = 32, SMC = .226 [95% CI: .109 to .343, I2 = 95.9%] | n = 26, SMC = .201 [95% CI: .099 to .302, I2 = 93.8%] | Coefficient = -.057 [95% CI: -.119 to .005] |
| General (non-specific) mental health (n = 35) | n = 20, SMC = -.013 [95% CI: -.176 to .150, I2 = 98.5%] | n = 15, SMC = -.098 [95% CI: -.292 to .095, I2 = 99.3%] | Coefficient = -.071 [95% CI: -.119 to .-.022] |
| Psychotic symptoms (n = 5) | n = 5, SMC = -.211 [95%CI: -.376 to -.046, I2 = 73.1%] | - | - |
| Well-being (n = 7) | n = 6, SMC = .053 [95% CI: -.182 to .288, I2 = 92.8%] | - | - |
| Other disorder specific symptoms (n = 8) | n = 6, SMC = -.105 [95 CI: -.282 to .073, I2 = 84.9%] | n = 2, SMC = .130 [95% CI: -.180 to .440, I2 = 88.6%] | Coefficient = .105 [95% CI: -.019 to .229] |
n = equals number of comparisons. Cells with - are indicative of insufficient effect sizes for individual analyses. Depression and mood disorder symptoms included depressive symptoms and emotional problems. General (non-specific) mental health measures included mental health related-quality of life, distress, internalizing symptoms. Psychotic symptoms included measures of psychoticism and paranoia. Well-being included measures of overall psychological well-being. Other disorder specific symptoms included eating disorder symptomology, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, suicidal ideation. For all measures included by symptom type see Table S1.