Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022

Objective—This report examines the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression among adults by sociodemographic and geographic characteristics, and how those may have changed between 2019 and 2022. Methods—Data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey were used to examine the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety, using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD–7), and symptoms of depression, using the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ–8). Results—During 2022, about one in five adults age 18 and older experienced any symptoms of anxiety (18.2%) or symptoms of depression (21.4%) in the past 2 weeks. The severity of symptoms differed by sociodemographic and geographic characteristics. The percentages of adults with mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of both anxiety and depression were highest among adults ages 18–29 and decreased with age and were higher among women than men. Asian non-Hispanic adults were least likely to experience moderate and severe symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with the other race and Hispanic-origin groups examined. In addition, the percentage of adults with any symptoms of anxiety and depression was highest among those with less than a high school education and with family incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level and was higher among those living in rural areas. A significant increase was seen in the percentage of adults with anxiety symptoms (from 15.6% to 18.2%, respectively) and depression symptoms (from 18.5% to 21.4%, respectively) between 2019 and 2022. Increases in symptoms of anxiety and depression were seen throughout the subgroups examined, including adults ages 18–44, Black non-Hispanic and White non-Hispanic adults, adults with a high school education or more, and adults with family incomes of 100% of the federal poverty level or higher, as well as adults from all regions and urbanization levels. © 2024, University of Manchester. All rights reserved.