From Bad to Worse? Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health of Young Adults in Turkey

Abstract

The main aim was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among young adults in Turkey. We also aimed at identifying the social and psychological correlates of pandemic-related anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression symptoms in the 1720 participants were investigated using web-based survey versions of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scales and data on the social and psychological measures and socio-demographic data were also collected. The proportion of subjects screening positive for anxiety increased from 18.5% to 53.5%; for depression increased from 30.2% to 71.6%. After taking social and psychological factors into account, social media use and, COVID-19-related concerns, and gender were the strongest predictors of anxiety and depression during the pandemic. Although the findings of the current study may be prone to sampling and recall bias due to retrospective assessments through self-report measures, strikingly high anxiety and depressive levels require an immediate response aimed at reducing and treating the mental health risks that young adults face. The psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to overwhelm fragile mental health care systems around the world.