Mental Health Symptoms among American Veterans during the COVID-19 Pandemic

We examined the symptom trajectories of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety among 1,230 American veterans assessed online one month prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States (February 2020) through the next year (August 2020, November 2020, February 2021). Veterans slightly increased mental health symptoms over time and those with pre-pandemic alcohol and cannabis use disorders reported greater symptoms compared to those without. Women and racial/ethnic minority veterans reported greater symptoms pre-pandemic but less steep increases over time compared to men and white veterans. Findings point to the continued need for mental health care efforts with veterans.