• Kyle T Ganson, Alexander C Tsai, Sheri D Weiser, Samuel E Benabou, and Jason M Nagata.
• Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: kyle.ganson@utoronto.ca.
• J Adolesc Health. 2021 Jan 1; 68 (1): 53-56.

PurposeThis study aimed to estimate the associations between job insecurity and symptoms of anxiety and depression among U.S. young adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe analyzed data on young adults aged 18-26 years from June 15 to June 30, 2020, from the weekly, cross-sectional Household Pulse Survey (n = 4,852) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Two job insecurity measures and four anxiety and depression measures were analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and marital status.ResultsFifty-nine percent of participants experienced direct or household employment loss since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 38% were expected to experience direct or household employment loss in the coming 4 weeks. Recent direct or household employment loss and expected direct or household employment loss, among participants who did not experience recent employment loss, were associated with a greater risk of poor mental health on all four measures.ConclusionsU.S. young adults experience a significant mental health burden as a result of job insecurity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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