Prevalence of Chronic Physical Conditions and Physical Multimorbidity Among Young Adults With Serious Mental Health Conditions

Objective: There is minimal research on the prevalence of chronic medical conditions among young adults with mental health conditions. This exploratory study assessed the prevalence and number of chronic medical conditions and their association with mental health status. Methods: A cross-sectional, online survey was completed in March-June 2021, by 967 U.S. young adults (age 18-25 years) with self-identified serious mental health conditions, recruited nationally via social media, email, and websites. Medical conditions were assessed using items from the National Health Interview Survey and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; mental health was assessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scales. Multivariable regression analysis examined associations between mental health and the six most prevalent medical conditions, as well as the number of conditions, controlling for background characteristics. Results: We found notable prevalence of obesity (18.5%), migraines (18.2%), allergies (14.8%), asthma (9.2%), and gastrointestinal disorders (9.2%). Controlling for all other factors, high levels of anxiety were associated with greater likelihood of obesity and gastrointestinal disorders, while high levels of depression were associated with lower likelihood of obesity. While 23.2% reported two or more medical conditions, anxiety but not depressive symptoms was associated with a greater number of co-occurring medical conditions. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: A notable prevalence of chronic conditions puts young adults with mental health conditions at significant risk of adverse physical health outcomes from a young age. Results can inform the design of tailored health promotion and self-management programs to improve outcomes among this population.