Diverging mental health trends in the postpandemic era: results from the HUNT Study, Norway.

Background: The purpose of this report is to examine to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic affected pre-existing trends in mental health, with a focus on subgroup differences across age, gender and socioeconomic status.

Methods: Our analysis uses data from two survey periods (HUNT4: 2017-2019 and HUNT-COVID: 2021-2023) from the Trøndelag Health Study in Norway. We estimate overall and stratified (by age, sex and educational attainment) prevalence values for above-threshold (≥8) anxiety and depression scores using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. For each outcome, we compare prevalences between HUNT-4 and HUNT-Covid within each subgroup.

Results: Above-threshold levels of anxiety were higher among women than men, while the opposite was true for depression. Symptoms generally decrease with age. Between HUNT4 and HUNT-COVID, for both women and men, anxiety symptoms decreased (except among women between 18-29 and 30-39) while depression symptoms increased (except for individuals over 80). Anxiety symptoms decreased across education levels between HUNT4 and HUNT-COVID while depression symptoms increased across education levels.

Conclusion: The findings illustrate the negative long-term effects of a shock such as a pandemic while also illustrating the potential positive effects of generous welfare benefits on inequalities in mental health.