Working Paper: NBER ID: w30988
Authors: David G. Blanchflower; Alex Bryson
Abstract: Although yet to be clearly identified as a clinical condition, there is immense concern at the health and wellbeing consequences of long COVID. Using data collected from nearly half a million Americans in the period June 2022-December 2022 in the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS), we find 14 percent reported suffering long COVID at some point, half of whom reported it at the time of the survey. It peaks in midlife in the same way as negative affect. Ever having had long COVID is strongly associated with negative affect (anxiety, depression, worry and a lack of interest in things). The effect is larger among those who currently report long COVID, especially if they report severe symptoms. In contrast, those who report having had short COVID report higher wellbeing than those who report never having had COVID. Long COVID is also strongly associated with physical mobility problems, and with problems dressing and bathing. It is also associated with mental problems as indicated by recall and understanding difficulties. Again, the associations are strongest among those who currently report long COVID, while those who said they had had short COVID have fewer physical and mental problems than those who report never having had COVID. Vaccination is associated with lower negative affect, including among those who reported having had long COVID.
Keywords: long covid; mental health; vaccination; physical health; negative affect
JEL Codes: I1; I31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| long covid (I12) | negative affect (D91) |
| long covid (I12) | anxiety (D80) |
| long covid (I12) | depression (E32) |
| long covid (I12) | physical mobility problems (J62) |
| long covid (I12) | difficulties in self-care (I12) |
| long covid (severe symptoms) (I12) | negative affect (D91) |
| long covid (short symptoms) (I12) | higher wellbeing (I31) |