Researchers Link Pandemic-Associated Financial Hardships to Severe, Persistent COVID-19

New study findings showed that reported economic hardships were higher among families that were led by an adult with persistent COVID-19 symptoms, and an adult that had COVID-19, compared to families that were not diagnosed with the infection. The results were published in JAMA Network Open and demonstrated that low-income families prior to the pandemic were at a higher risk of troubles and earning losses if they had family members with COVID-19 diagnoses.

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The study authors noted that over 5.9 million individuals were hospitalized in the United States due to COVID-19 infections. Among the 5 million individuals that were impacted, 3 million were reported to have post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs).

Symptoms of PCCs included affecting daily functioning, a lower likelihood of working full time, and a higher likelihood of being unemployed. Other factors associated with COVID-19 included job loss due to hospitalization, stressed medical and household expenses, and lost caretaker productivity.

The aim of the study was to evaluate associations of COVID-19 exposure and economic hardships among families.

The study authors used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), which was a nationally representative household panel survey that conducted interviews before and during the pandemic. The PSID survey collected detailed information on income, employment, wealth, and family composition. Information was also collected on the family’s reference person (RP).

The study authors assessed 3 factors that were deemed economic hardships and were reported by the RP in the 2021 PSID survey. These included that a resident family member was laid off or furloughed because of the pandemic, a resident family member received less earnings because of the pandemic, and a resident family member had financial complications due to the pandemic.

The researchers also analyzed families’ sociodemographic characteristics and involvements of economic hardships with COVID-19 exposure. The researchers then examined the associations between persistent, severe, or moderate, mild, or asymptomatic COVID-19, compared to no COVID-19, in connection to the 3 factors that indicated economic hardship.

The cohort study included 6932 families— 772 families were headed by a Hispanic RP, 2725 by a non-Hispanic Black RP, and 3242 by a non-Hispanic White RP.

The results found that among the 6932 families, 1340 reported that a family member was laid off during the pandemic, 1780 lost earnings, and 1489 had financial issues due to the pandemic. In total, 2222 families reported their income to be 200% below the US Census Bureau poverty threshold.

The results also found that the likelihood of reporting COVID-19-related difficulties were 2.0 to 3.7 times higher among families with an adult that had persistent COVID-19 symptoms. The data also displayed that challenges were 1.7 to 2.0 higher among families with an adult that had previous severe COVID-19, compared to families that reported no infection of COVID-19.

The results concluded that families that were led by an adult with persistent COVID-19 symptoms had an increased chance of financial disturbances, regardless of socioeconomic status prior to the pandemic. However, severe COVID-19-associated financial disturbances were linked to families with a lower income.

The findings suggest that while economic hardships due to COVID-19 varied, families that reported a lower income before the pandemic were more likely to experience hardships if their RP faced COVID-19 illness.

Reference

Association of Severe COVID-19 and Persistent COVID-19 Symptoms With Economic Hardship Among US Families. Jama Network Open. News release. December 12, 2023. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2812772.