From 2014 to 2018, the
number of California adults who reported that they had experienced serious
psychological distress in any given year increased by 42%, according to a UCLA Center for Health
Policy Research policy brief published
today.
The finding is based on
research in the California
Health Interview Survey, which each year gathers data from more than 20,000
respondents. Based on the surveys, UCLA researchers project that nearly 2.2
million Californians experienced serious psychological distress in 2014, and
that the figure steadily increased through 2018, when, according to their
projections, 3.2 million experienced such issues.
The report defined
serious psychological distress as symptoms that interfere with social,
educational and occupational functioning and that require mental health
treatment.
The number of young
adults (ages 18 to 24) reporting serious distress increased 103.5% from 2014 to
2018, the largest increase among any age group in the study. The report also reveals
that:
- The number of men
reporting serious distress (68.4% increase from 2014 to 2018) increased more than
the number of women.
- People who held
part-time jobs (103.3% increase) had a greater increase than people with other
employment status.
- Asians and Asian
Americans (170.6% increase) had a greater increase than any other racial/ethnic
group.
- People who identify as
lesbian, gay or bisexual (44.2% increase) had a greater increase than those who
identified as heterosexual.
- People who have at
least a college degree (64.7%) had a greater increase than those with lower
levels of education.
“It is critical to look
at structural and social factors such as education, income, employment and
discrimination that may be related to mental health inequities,” said D.
Imelda Padilla-Frausto, lead author of the study and a research scientist
at the center. “This can help explain why a high percentage of adults who
identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual have experienced serious distress and why
the number of people in that group reporting serious distress has continued to
increase.
“Because our society
does not completely embrace people who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual,
they face discrimination, violence and stigma, which can lead to inequities in
educational attainment, employment discrimination and financial insecurity. And
that lack of acceptance and equal opportunity can lead to mental health
inequities.”
The authors provide seven
sets of recommendations to address the trend, focusing on structural factors
that may be contributing to people’s increasing levels of distress, and in
particular the lack of access to mental health services for people in
underserved communities.
“Reducing psychological
distress will require reducing inequities in educational attainment, employment
and financial security, access to affordable and quality care, as well as among
at-risk groups across age, gender, sexual orientation, and race and ethnicity,”
Padilla-Frausto said.
Even before the
COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 3 million California households were unable
to meet basic living costs. Padilla-Frausto and her co-authors write that the
issues the report raises are particularly important considering the
psychological and economic effects of the pandemic, which are likely to
exacerbate the structural factors that tend to bring on psychological distress.
They urge policymakers to
prioritize equity-based economic recovery policies that consider the
disadvantages that at-risk groups were already facing, including lack of access
to basic needs and services.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. The Center improves the public's health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. The Center is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. For more information, visit healthpolicy.ucla.edu.