Eviction risk and mental health outcomes among the US adults during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

To assess whether the relationship between risk of eviction and anxiety and depression symptoms among U.S. adults differed during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the period following the end of the federal public health emergency for COVID-19. We used nationally representative repeated cross-sectional data (N = 81,915) from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, from August 19, 2020, to August 19, 2024. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between perceived risk of eviction and symptoms of anxiety and depression after adjusting for an array of sociodemographic characteristics. We tested whether these associations differed between the COVID-19 pandemic period and the post-pandemic period. Eviction risk was associated with more than a two-fold increase in the odds of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the strength of this association was lower in the post-pandemic period, where the odds of depression and anxiety among those at-risk of eviction relative to those not at risk of eviction were roughly 22% lower compared to the COVID phase. Findings highlight the persistent mental health burden associated with risk of eviction and support the need for eviction-prevention and integrated behavioral health strategies targeting households experiencing eviction risk.