About one in five adults experienced any symptoms of anxiety and symptoms of depression during 2022, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the National Health Statistics Reports, a publication from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Emily P. Terlizzi, M.P.H., and Benjamin Zablotsky, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, used data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey to examine the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale.

The researchers found that 18.2 and 21.4% of adults experienced any symptoms of anxiety or symptoms of depression, respectively, in the past two weeks during 2022. Symptom severity differed by sociodemographic and geographic characteristics. Adults aged 18 to 29 years had the highest percentage of mild, moderate, or severe symptoms of anxiety or depression; the percentages decreased with age and were higher among women than men.

Compared with other race and Hispanic-origin groups, Asian non-Hispanic adults were least likely to experience moderate and severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. The highest percentage of adults with any symptoms of anxiety and depression was seen for those with less than a high school education and with family incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level, as well as among those living in rural areas.

“A significant increase was seen in the percentage of adults with anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms between 2019 and 2022,” the authors write.

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