Burden of mental distress in the United States is associated with delayed medical visits and missed prescription refills during the COVID-19 pandemic

Madhu Jalan, Kira Riehm, Manali Nekkanti, Smisha Agarwal, Dustin G. Gibson, Alain Labrique, Johannes Thrul

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to poor health due to a decrease in healthcare utilization and those with mental health problems may be impacted. For this analysis, data came from a cross-sectional, nationally representative December 2020 survey. Logistic regression analyses examined associations between (1) mental distress and delayed medical visits, (2) mental distress and missed prescription refills, controlling for sociodemographics, pre-existing chronic conditions, and access to health insurance. We found that, compared to those that exhibited normal levels of mental distress, those with mild (aOR = 2.83, 95% CI = 2.47–3.24), moderate (aOR = 3.43, 95% CI = 2.95–3.99), and severe (aOR = 4.96, 95% CI = 4.21–5.84) mental distress showed greater odds of delaying medical visits. Similarly, compared to those that exhibited normal levels of mental distress, those with mild (aOR =3.93, 95% CI = 3.04–5.09), moderate (aOR =6.52, 95% CI = 5.07–8.43), and severe (aOR =8.69, 95% CI = 6.71–11.32) mental distress showed greater odds of missing prescription refills. Our study shows that individuals who showed signs of mental distress had increased odds of delayed medical visits and missed prescription refills, compared to those that showed normal levels of mental distress.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number107195
JournalPreventive Medicine
Volume163
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Delayed medical visits
  • Mental distress
  • Missed prescription refills
  • National Pandemic Pulse
  • PHQ-4

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Epidemiology

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