• Hyunsuk Jeong, Hyeon Woo Yim, Seung-Yup Lee, and Da Young Jung.
• Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2023 Feb 13; 38 (6): e36e36.

BackgroundRestrictions on daily life and changes in economic structure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) likely would have affected men and women differently. However, there is still a lack of research on the difference between men and women in the amount of change in depression during COVID-19 compared to before COVID-19. Therefore, the researchers investigated gender differences in the magnitude of increase in the prevalence of depression with its severity and individual symptoms during COVID-19 compared with pre-pandemic levels.MethodsThe Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016 and 2018 were used to assess depression levels pre-pandemic and the KNHANES 2020 for pandemic depression levels. Depression was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). To analyze the differences between men and women in the magnitude of the mental health impact of COVID-19, the researchers analyzed the weighted differences in depression prevalence, severity, and individual symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before COVID-19 stratified by gender.ResultsIn men, there were significant increases in weighted prevalence for depression (1.2% percentage point; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0-2.3) and severe symptoms of depression (2.6-fold; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7). Among the individual symptoms of depression, significant increases during the pandemic compared to before were: little interest or pleasure in doing things, 1.26-fold; feeling tired or having little energy, 2.2-fold; and suicidal thoughts, 1.7-fold. However, there was no significant difference in prevalence, symptoms severity, and any symptom before and during COVID-19 in women.ConclusionsBecause the pandemic is likely to increase mental problems of the affected over time due to such problems as financial stress and joblessness or post-infection health issues, the researchers anticipate an increase in the prevalence of some mental illnesses. In particular, since the suicide rate of men is higher than that of women, from a public health perspective, active interventions are needed to prevent an increase in the suicide rate due to COVID-19. It is also necessary to establish national policies to overcome the psychological, social, and economic losses resulting from COVID-19.© 2023 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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