The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and labor market outcomes using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97)

Given the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and labor market dynamics globally, this article seeks to understand how levels of self-reported depressive symptoms might be related to an individual’s employment status, work-related outcomes, and demographic and household characteristics from 2019 to 2022. Using a subsample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), depressive symptoms are measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-7) across three survey rounds, including a supplemental round conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most individuals did not report high depressive symptoms; however, the share that did increased during the supplemental round before declining in the subsequent round. Women and adults living with children under the age of 18 were more likely to report high depressive symptoms across all survey rounds.