TABLE 1.
Sociodemographic and mental health characteristics of the participants
| Variables | Veterans (N = 816) | Civilians (N = 5791) | Tests of significance | Effect size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 52.64 (18.05) | 47.86 (17.54) | p < 0.001 a | 0.26 a |
| Gender, n (%) | p < 0.001 b | 0.27 b | ||
| Male | 573 (74.1) | 2399 (36.9) | ||
| Female | 243 (25.9) | 3367 (63.1) | ||
| Race, n (%) | p < 0.001 b | 0.13 b | ||
| White | 528 (73.3) | 4477 (78.8) | ||
| Black | 213 (21.0) | 679 (10.5) | ||
| Asian | 41 (2.5) | 444 (3.9) | ||
| Other | 34 (3.2) | 191 (6.8) | ||
| Education, n (%) | p < 0.001 b | 0.09 b | ||
| Some college or below | 140 (27.6) | 1713 (31.1) | ||
| Associate/Bachelors | 373 (43.4) | 2982 (49.4) | ||
| Advanced degree | 303 (29.0) | 1096 (19.4) | ||
| Employment status change, n (%) | p < 0.001 b | 0.31 b | ||
| Lost job | 89 (8.1) | 598 (9.0) | ||
| COVID‐19 as a threat, mean (SD) | 3.04 (0.94) | 3.26 (0.86) | p < 0.001 c | 0.10 b |
| Not a threat, n (%) | 59 (6.0) | 263 (4.1) | ||
| A slight threat, n (%) | 244 (23.9) | 927 (14.9) | ||
| A moderate threat, n (%) | 285 (29.8) | 2095 (32.0) | ||
| A great threat, n (%) | 228 (40.3) | 2506 (49.0) | ||
| Government response to COVID‐19, mean (SD) | 2.62 (1.29) | 2.39 (1.30) | p < 0.001 a | 0.08 b |
| Great underreaction, n (%) | 129 (28.1) | 1901 (35.3) | ||
| Slight underreaction, n (%) | 163 (15.3) | 1225 (18.8) | ||
| Appropriate reaction, n (%) | 295 (32.3) | 1474 (26.2) | ||
| Slight overreaction, n (%) | 145 (15.0) | 684 (10.9) | ||
| Great overreaction (too reactive) | 84 (9.3) | 507 (8.9) | ||
| Psychosocial characteristics | ||||
| Probable anxiety, n (%) | 572 (53.5) | 2116 (30.0) | p < 0.001 b | 0.18 b |
| Probable depression, n (%) | 587 (55.1) | 2058 (29.7) | p < 0.001 b | 0.19 b |
| Probable COVID‐19 era‐related stress, n (%) | 443 (39.4) | 1244 (16.7) | p < 0.001 b | 0.20 b |
| Loneliness, mean (SD) | 5.74 (1.98) | 5.27 (1.94) | p < 0.001 c | 0.08 c |
Note: Ns are raw values. Means, standard deviations, and percentages are weighted. Bonferroni Correction was applied (p < 0.005 for significant results).
Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.
a
Independent‐samples t test.
b
Chi‐square test.
c
Mann–Whitney test.