Distressed: An Assessment of Emotional State of Young Adults during a COVID Wave

Table of contents

1. II. Material and Methods

Detroit residents between the ages of 18 and 25 self-reported their conditions via a survey instrument hosted on Centiment. Co, an online survey platform that T helps to target specific demographics for researchers. (Centiment, 2022) Data were collected between January 19, 2022, and February 7, 2022. The Detroit Metro area was experiencing a COVID wave during the same time. (State of Michigan, 2022) 522 people from the target population responded to the survey. 412 people completed the survey. There are approximately 600,000 people between the ages of 18 and 25 that reside in the Detroit Metro area. (Detroit Regional Chamber, 2022) 384 samples would be needed to achieve 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error for statistical analysis. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022)The collected responses are greater than the sample size target.

The survey instrument has 4 sections. The first section covered responder demographics. The second section is adapted from the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). The DASS-21 "is a set of three self-report scales designed to measure the emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. Each of the three DASS-21 scales contains 7 items, divided into subscales with similar content. The depression scale assesses dysphoria, hopelessness, devaluation of life, self-deprecation, lack of interest / involvement, anhedonia and inertia. The anxiety scale assesses autonomic arousal, skeletal muscle effects, situational anxiety, and subjective experience of anxious affect. The stress scale is sensitive to levels of chronic non-specific arousal. It assesses difficulty relaxing, nervous arousal, and being easily upset / agitated, irritable / over-reactive and impatient". Scores for depression, anxiety and stress are calculated by summing the scores for the relevant items. (Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Australia, 2016; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1996)DASS-21 responses are summarized as extremely severe, severe, moderate, mild, and normal.

The third section is based on the Pew Research Center's Teen Survey. (Jiang, 2020) The questions in this section cover the usage of electronic devices by the sampled population. The fourth section was derived from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. (Freed, n.d.) This survey measures effects of COVID-19 restrictions on teens, who rely on their peer and social connections for emotional support. In total, the survey instrument had 46 multiple choices questions.

Descriptive analysis of the data collected was performed to better understand the demographics of the participants. Descriptive analysis also included breakdown of responses per question. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to explore whether there are any statistically significant differences between various groups. Further, ANOVA was used to investigate the relationships between depression, anxiety, stress, and self-reported impact of COVID-19 on social interactions. Finally, ANOVA was used to investigate how young adults in the Detroit Metro area tried to deal with problems related to their emotional states.

2. III. Results

49% of the respondents identified as female, 46% identified as male. 54% of the respondents selfreported themselves as white or Caucasian, 35% as black of African American, 9% as Latino or Hispanic, 7% as Asian, 3% as Native American or Alaskan Native and 1% as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A breakdown of respondent by age is shown in table 1. In response to DASS-21 portion of the survey, most respondents reported their levels as normal. Specifically, 38.8% reported normal depression levels, 37.4% reported normal anxiety levels and 47.6% reported normal stress levels. On the other hand, 26.9% of respondents reported their depression as extremely severe or severe, 36.2% of respondents reported their anxiety as extremely severe or severe and 18.9% of respondents reported their stress as extremely severe or severe. Additionally, it can be concluded that largest number of people reported higher than normal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. A complete breakdown of the relevant responses is included in table 2. A Pearson correlation analysis for the three emotional states was performed. The states demonstrate a high degree of correlation. The correlation analysis is shown in table 3. Furthermore, moderate degree of statistically significant correlation, with coefficients between 0.24and 0.39, were found between the levels of emotional states and various detrimental behaviors reported by the Over 62% of the respondents reported that the COVID-19 wave that was prevalent during the data collection phase has very negative or somewhat negative impact on their social interactions. A complete breakdown of the responses is included in table 4. Respondents used various modes of communication to interact with their family members, friends or loved ones. Most common modes of communications reported were phone calls, social media, gaming platforms and inperson interactions. A complete breakdown of the responses is included in table 5. During the COVID-19 wave prevalent during the data collection phase 53.6% respondents reported experiencing sleep issues, 56.8% respondents reported experiencing worry, 53.2% respondents reported experiencing sadness, 38.6% respondents reported experiencing changes in appetite, 24.8% respondents reported experiencing aggressive behavior and 32.3% respondents reported withdrawing from family. Further, to seek emotional support 57.8% of respondents looked for information on internet portals, 32% used mobile applications, 37.6% looked for professional help and 68.4% talked to people in the family and/or friends. ANOVA was performed to assess whether levels of depression, anxiety and stress varied by gender. It was found that the p-values of the F-tests were less than 0.05, hence it can be concluded that there are statistically significant differences between the means from one level of gender to another at the 95.0% confidence level. The multiple range tests showed that the levels varied significantly between the following groups. People who self-reported their gender as other had statistically significant higher levels of depression and anxiety when compared to people who self-reported their gender as male or female. People who selfreported their gender as female or other had statistically significant higher levels of stress when compared to people who self-reported their gender as male. Results of the ANOVA are shown in tables 6, 7, 8. Multiple Ranges tests are shown in tables 9, 10, 11. The results of ANOVA didn't show any statistically significant differences related to respondents' race. ANOVA did not highlight any statistically significant differences between levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and self-reported impact of COVID-19 on social interactions. All p-values were greater than 0.05. Similarly, the analysis did not demonstrate any statistically significant difference in the impact of COVID-19 based on gender or race. Tables 12, 13, 14 show that respondents turned to internet portals and professionals for help with their emotional states at statistically significant levels. The analyses show that emotional states of young adults in the Detroit Metro area were concerning. The emotional states were worse for genders other than male. The COVID-19 wave, and the associated lockdown also seems to have coincided with several detrimental behaviors. The young adults used various modes of communication to keep their social interactions active. They turned to various avenues to seek help for their emotional states.

Public health administrators could use the findings of this study to develop effective remedial programs. At individual level, young adults should keep channels of communications open via various modes with loved ones and professionals to help elevate their emotional states. The study is the first of its kind for the Detroit Metro area. Additional studies should be conducted in other geographical areas to develop a comprehensive understanding of the emotional states of young people in general and during pandemic lockdowns in specific. Further longitudinal studies will also help deepen the depth of knowledge. Regardless, of the COVID-19 related lockdown the emotional states of young people in the Detroit Metro area were found to be distressed.

Figure 1. Table 1 :
1
Age Frequency Percent
18 82 16%
19 50 10%
20 65 12%
21 88 17%
22 58 11%
23 45 9%
24 58 11%
25 68 13%
Other/Undisclosed 8 2%
Figure 2. Table 2 :
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Figure 3. Table 3 :
3
Depression Anxiety Stress Sleep issues Worry Sadness Changes in appetite Aggressive behavior Withdrawing from family
Depression 0.67 0.68 0.30 0.39 0.39 0.24 0.37 0.30
Anxiety 0.67 0.73 0.32 0.35 0.30 0.24 0.36 0.21
Stress 0.68 0.73 0.30 0.38 0.36 0.25 0.39 0.24
Sleep issues 0.30 0.32 0.30 0.40 0.41 0.39 0.31 0.23
Worry 0.39 0.35 0.38 0.40 0.55 0.28 0.24 0.27
Sadness 0.39 0.30 0.36 0.41 0.55 0.38 0.29 0.37
Changes in appetite 0.24 0.24 0.25 0.39 0.28 0.38 0.25 0.34
Aggressive behavior 0.37 0.36 0.39 0.31 0.24 0.29 0.25 0.30
Withdrawing from family 0.30 0.21 0.24 0.23 0.27 0.37 0.34 0.30
p values < 0.05 in all cases
Figure 4. Table 4 :
4
Frequency Percent
Very Negative 127 30.8%
Somewhat Negative 132 32.0%
Subtotal 259 62.9%
No Impact 114 27.7%
Somewhat Positive 27 6.6%
Very Positive 12 2.9%
Grand Total
Figure 5. Table 5 :
5
Text Phone Call Social Media
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
Every day or almost every day 18 4% 32 8% 40 10%
A few times a week 44 11% 85 21% 63 15%
A few times a month or less 131 32% 145 35% 116 28%
Never 219 53% 150 36% 193 47%
Total 412
Gaming Platforms In-Person (Indoor and/or Outdoor)
Frequency Percent Frequency Percent
Every day or almost every day 113 27% 16 4%
A few times a week 91 22% 107 26%
A few times a month or less 87 21% 127 31%
Never 121 29% 162 39%
Total 412
Figure 6. Table 6 :
6
Source Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-Ratio P-Value
Between groups 30.21 3 10.07 3.95 0.0085
Within groups 1040.42 408 2.55
Figure 7. Table 7 :
7
Source Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-Ratio P-Value
Between groups 20.54 3 6.85 3.28 0.0210
Within groups 851.91 408 2.09
Figure 8. Table 8 :
8
Source Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-Ratio P-Value
Between groups 25.87 3 8.62 5.84 0.0006
Within groups 602.06 408 1.48
Figure 9. Table 9 :
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Contrast Sig. Difference +/-Limits
Female -Male -0.28 0.32
Female -Other * 1.22 0.97
Female -Prefer Not to Say 0.63 1.30
Male -Other * 1.50 0.97
Male -Prefer Not to Say 0.90 1.30
Other -Prefer Not to Say -0.59 1.59
Note: * denotes a statistically significant difference.Distressed
Figure 10. Table 10 :
10
Contrast Sig. Difference +/-Limits
Female -Male -0.26 0.29
Female -Other * 1.01 0.88
Female -Prefer Not to Say 0.04 1.18
Male -Other * 1.27 0.88
Male -Prefer Not to Say 0.30 1.18
Other -Prefer Not to Say -0.97 1.44
* denotes a statistically significant difference.
Figure 11. Table 11 :
11
Contrast Sig. Difference +/-Limits
Female -Male * -0.39 0.24
Female -Other 0.72 0.74
Female -Prefer Not to Say 0.39 0.99
Male -Other * 1.12 0.74
Male -Prefer Not to Say 0.78 0.99
Other -Prefer Not to Say -0.33 1.21
Figure 12. Table 12 :
12
Source Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-Ratio P-Value
MAIN EFFECTS
A:Advice from internet 23.35 1 23.35 11.71 0.0007
B:Help from app 1.01 1 1.01 0.51 0.4775
C:Helpfrm professional 12.61 1 12.61 6.32 0.0123
D:Helpfrmfam_friend 4.92 1 4.92 2.47 0.1169
All F-ratios are based on the residual mean square erro.
Figure 13. Table 13 :
13
Source Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-Ratio P-Value
MAIN EFFECTS
A:Advice from internet 48.13 1 48.13 20.62 0.0002
B:Help from app 7.10 1 7.10 3.04 0.0819
C:Helpfrm professional 13.97 1 13.97 5.99 0.0148
D:Helpfrmfam_friend 0.82 1 0.82 0.35 0.5536
All F-ratios are based on the residual mean square error.
Figure 14. Table 14 :
14
Source Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F-Ratio P-Value
MAIN EFFECTS
A:Advice from internet 20.64 1 20.64 14.22 0.0002
B:Help from app 0.02 1 0.02 0.01 0.9085
C:Helpfrm professional 4.25 1 4.25 2.93 0.0879
D:Helpfrmfam_friend 0.004 1 0.004 0.00 0.9608
1

Appendix A

Appendix A.1 Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of their family in completing this research study.

Appendix B

Appendix B.1 Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Appendix C

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Notes
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Date: 2022 1970-01-01