Perceived Mental Health Among Adult Residents Living in Region 4 Illinois, U.S., During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

As of July 22, 2022, there were 3,528,282 total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Illinois, United States. The purpose of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to Illinois Region 4 adult residents’ poor mental health and assess the mental health burden the residents experienced during the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was administered via Qualtrics. Participants (N=632) living in the Illinois Region 4 counties of Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, and Washington were recruited through Facebook. The questionnaire was developed based on the current literature review and was validated by colleagues in public health. Both descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for data analysis using SPSS. Most of the participants identified as female (86.7%). Many of the participants had an associate’s (23.6%) or a bachelor’s (29.4%) degree. About 84% of the participants reported that COVID-19 had changed things in their daily life (e.g., work, family, and social life). There was significantly more perceived mental health burden during the pandemic than there was before the pandemic (p<0.001). Approximately 68% of participants believed more mental health resources should be made available within their county of residence. Overall, the study findings suggest the perceived mental health burden among Region 4 adults, which highlight the need for mental health issues to be prioritized and the allocation of mental health resources to be optimized.