Respondents described their parenting and caregiving roles, completed screening instruments for symptoms of anxiety and depression §§ and COVID-19 trauma- and stressor-related disorders (TSRDs), ¶¶ and reported whether during the past 30 days they had wished they were dead or could go to sleep and not wake up (passive suicidal ideation) or had seriously considered trying to kill themselves (serious suicidal ideation).*** †† Data for explanatory and outcome variables were obtained from 10,444 (99.8%) respondents. population by sex, age, and race/ethnicity. The nonprobability demographic quota sample was weighted to closely align with the distribution of the U.S. Additional measures are needed to improve mental health among parents, caregivers, and parents-caregivers.Īmong 16,384 eligible and invited unique respondents,** 10,469 (63.9%) completed English-language, Internet-based surveys administered to Qualtrics panels for The COPE Initiative during distinct intervals (December 6–27, 2020, and February 16–March 8, 2021). Caregivers who had someone to rely on for support had lower odds of experiencing any adverse mental health symptoms. These findings highlight that parents and caregivers, especially those balancing roles both as parents and caregivers, experienced higher levels of adverse mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic than adults without these responsibilities. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for any adverse mental health symptoms, particularly suicidal ideation, were higher among all respondents who were parents, caregivers of adults, or both compared with respondents who were nonparents/noncaregivers and were highest among persons in both roles (parents-caregivers) (any adverse mental health symptoms: aOR = 5.1, 95% confidence interval = 4.1–6.2 serious suicidal ideation: aOR = 8.2, 95% CI = 6.5–10.4). ¶ Respondents were categorized as parents only, caregivers of adults only, parents-caregivers (persons in both roles), or nonparents/noncaregivers (persons in neither role). adults on the basis of their classification as having a parenting role (i.e., unpaid persons caring for children and adolescents aged <18 years, referred to as children in this report) or being an unpaid caregiver of adults (i.e., persons caring for adults aged ≥18 years), § CDC analyzed data from cross-sectional surveys that were administered during December 2020 and February–March 2021 for The COVID-19 Outbreak Public Evaluation (COPE) Initiative. To examine mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among U.S. In addition, 27% of parents of children aged <18 years reported that their mental health had worsened during the pandemic ( 2). Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two thirds of unpaid caregivers of adults reported adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms, compared with approximately one third of noncaregivers † ( 1).