Mental health outcomes among United States remote-eligible working adults post COVID-19: national evidence

Background The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the transition from traditional office-based work to remote work, but the national-level relationship between remote work and workers’ mental health remains understudied. Objective To assess the prevalence of six mental-related health outcomes among remote-eligible working adults in the United States and examine sociodemographic and health-related disparities. Methods The 2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) adult sample data were analyzed for remote-eligible ( n = 5,813) and non-remote-eligible occupations ( n = 11,644). Participants’ self-reported depression and anxiety frequency, depression and anxiety disorder, and depression and anxiety medication use. Survey-weighted ordered logistic regression and cumulative logistic regression models were used to estimate interaction effects, and potential confounders were adjusted for. Results Mental health outcomes among remote-eligible- working adults varied substantially across sociodemographic groups, with obvious gaps between depression/anxiety frequency, symptom burden, and depression/anxiety disorders diagnosis, particularly among males, older adults, and non-Hispanic Asian remote-eligible working adults. Conclusion With the projected aging workforce, the need for targeted screening, equitable and culturally responsive mental health care, and equitable mental health care services to address unmet mental health needs is crucial with the expanding remote-work structure.