University of Minnesota Research Finds COVID-19 is Negatively Impacting Well-Being

According to a recently published University of Minnesota study, depression rates are up for US adults and life satisfaction is down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study titled, “Socioeconomic Status and Well-Being During COVID-19: A Resource-Based Examination,” was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Richard Douglass, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology is a co-author of this study. The results discuss that no matter one’s socioeconomic status, everyone has been heavily affected by COVID-19.

It was found that individuals with higher education experienced a greater increase in depressive symptoms and a decrease in life satisfaction compared to those with lower education. Additionally, individuals at the highest levels of income experienced a greater decrease in life satisfaction from before due to COVID-19 than those at a lower income level. The study assessed well-being at the beginning of the pandemic.