Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on NIMH Research Participants and Volunteers

Background:

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused many changes to people s normal social patterns. The respiratory illness has been the major focus of public health efforts. But most experts also agree that government and public health mandates to slow the spread of the illness, such as social distancing, have a significant effect on people s mental health. Environmental stressors, such as constraints on activities, social contact, and access to resources, take a toll. Researchers want to learn how stressors related to COVID-19 affect mental health over time.

Objective: To learn the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among a range of people.

Eligibility:

English-speaking adults ages 18 and older

Design:

This study will be conducted online.

Participants will give their first and last name and email address. They will indicate if they have ever been in an NIH research study. They will get a username and password.

Every 2 weeks for up to 6 months, participants will complete online study surveys. They will get email reminders. Some surveys will be repeated. At the end of the study, they will complete a set of end-of-study surveys.

The surveys will ask about the following:

Age, sex, race, and other sociodemographic data

Mental and medical illness history and treatment

Family medical history

Mobility, self-care, and life activities

Behaviors related to alcohol and substance use disorder

Mental illness symptoms

Psychological distress

Stressors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants will get links to mental health resources, such as hotlines. They will also get guidance on steps to take to seek care or support.

Study website: nimhcovidstudy.ctss.nih.gov

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Volunteer; Anxiety Disorder; Mood Disorder; Preexisting Medical Condition

Detailed Description

Study Description: This protocol leverages existing NIMH studies and participants to accomplish time-sensitive research on the mental health impact of environmental stressors imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will describe the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among a range of participants including various patient populations and healthy volunteers. The utilization of a study website to consent and survey participants online is an efficient and timely way to collect research data during this unique public health crisis.

Objectives: The primary objective is to describe the relationship between stressors related to COVID-19 and self-rated measures of mental health symptoms and distress among a range of participants including various patient populations and healthy volunteers. The secondary objectives are to determine whether existing mental health concerns moderates this relationship and to identify risk and resilience factors among study participants regarding the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Endpoints: The primary endpoints are descriptive data on stressors experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and emotional, behavioral, and clinical symptoms. These endpoints will be measured repeatedly using an online platform for up to 6 months. These repeated measures will be combined with previously collected phenotype data on NIMH participants as allowed.

Study Population: The sample size will be up to 10,000 and will include participants 18 years and older of both sexes, any gender, and health status. They must be English-speaking. The study population will include patient and volunteer participants who have consented for a NIMH study in the past as well as new participants from the general population who respond to advertisements for the NIMH COVID study but who have not previously been a NIMH study participant. The NIMH COVID study participants may or may not be local to the Metropolitan Washington DC area but since the study will be conducted entirely online, this is not relevant.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 3655

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
      • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population for the NIMH COVID study will include patient and volunteer participants who have consented for a NIMH study in the past as well as new participants from the general population whorespond to advertisements for the NIMH COVID study but who have not previously been a NIMH studyparticipant. The NIMH COVID study participants may or may not be local to the Metropolitan WashingtonDC area but since the study will be conducted entirely online, this is not relevant.

Description

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

• 18 years of age and older.
• Able to read and write English.
• Able to provide informed consent online using study website.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

There are no exclusion criteria for this study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
New study participant; Individuals who respond to study website or advertisements for the study who have not previously been a NIMH study participant
NIMH Study Participant; Individuals who have previously consented for a NIMH study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
NIMH COVID Study survey - adult responses	Thoughts and feelings about mental health impact of COVID-19	Biweekly online responses

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
DSM XC and KS survey	Ratings on measures of mental health symptoms and distress	Biweekly online self report

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Joyce Y Chung, M.D., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cohen S, Gianaros PJ, Manuck SB. A Stage Model of Stress and Disease. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2016 Jul;11(4):456-63. doi: 10.1177/1745691616646305.
• Kendler KS, Hettema JM, Butera F, Gardner CO, Prescott CA. Life event dimensions of loss, humiliation, entrapment, and danger in the prediction of onsets of major depression and generalized anxiety. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003 Aug;60(8):789-96. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.60.8.789.
• Gibbons AB, Farmer C, Shaw JS, Chung JY. Examining the factor structure of the DSM-5 Level 1 cross-cutting symptom measure. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2023 Jun;32(2):e1953. doi: 10.1002/mpr.1953. Epub 2022 Nov 1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 7, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 17, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): June 2, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 8, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 8, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): April 9, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 30, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mental Health; Natural History; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Distress; Environmental Stressor
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; COVID-19; Anxiety Disorders; Mood Disorders; Coronavirus Infections; Psychological Well-Being
• Other Study ID Numbers: 999920085; 20-M-N085

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No