In the NLSY97, mental health information has been collected in self-reported measures such as the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), a shortened version of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Some of these measures were collected as part of the Health-at-Age 29 and Health-at-Age 38/39 series. Additional topics include mental and emotional problems, mental health treatment, and out-of-the-ordinary stressors. See also Attitudes & Noncognitive Skills Measures for information on noncognitive skills associated with personality and temperament.

Mental health measures

Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5)

Rounds 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 17-19 included a set of questions assessing how often respondents experienced specific feelings during the previous month. These items comprised a five-item short form of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5), developed by Veit and Ware in the late 1970s. Respondents reported the frequency with which they felt very nervous, calm and peaceful, downhearted and blue, happy, and so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer them up. Responses were recorded on a four-point scale: all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, and none of the time.

CES-D Scale

Beginning in round 19, respondents completed the 7-item CES-D, a self-report measure of depressive symptoms experienced during the week prior to the interview. Respondents reported how often they experienced poor appetite, difficulty concentrating, feeling depressed, feeling that everything was an effort, restless sleep, feeling sad, and difficulty getting going. Responses captured symptom frequency that included rarely or none of the time (0–1 day), some or a little of the time (2 days), occasionally or a moderate amount of the time (3–4 days), and most or all of the time (5–7 days). The CES-D questions were also asked in the COVID-19 Supplement (See Appendix 14).

GAD-7 Scale

Beginning in round 19, respondents who had turned 38 or 39 were administered the Health-at-Age 38/39 questions, which included the GAD-7 scale. The GAD-7 is a seven-item self-report measure of generalized anxiety developed by Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, and Löwe (2006) and assesses how often respondents were bothered by anxiety-related problems during the past two weeks. Respondents were asked how frequently they experienced feeling nervous, anxious or on edge, difficulty controlling worry, worrying too much about different things, trouble relaxing, restlessness, becoming easily annoyed or irritable, and excessive fear. Responses were reported using a four-point scale: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.

Additional topics

The NLSY97 includes various questions across multiple rounds that document respondents’ mental health-related experiences, including sources of support, work and activity limitations due to emotional problems, related health and attitudinal measures, use of mental health treatment, incarceration-related treatment, and stressors.

Mental and emotional problems

In rounds 1-4, 6, and 8-18, respondents were asked whom they turned to for personal problems. Responses included a family member, friend, coworker, teacher or school counselor, clergy member, mental health professional, spouse or partner, someone else, or no one.

Information on diagnosed health conditions included questions asking whether respondents had ever been diagnosed with a chronic condition or disability, including emotional or mental health problems. These questions were asked in rounds 6, 11-13, and 16. Additional information on the youth’s emotional or mental health was collected from the responding parent in the Parent Questionnaire (round 1). For more details, see the health conditions section of Physical Health.

Beginning in round 13, the Health-at-Age 29 series included questions assessing whether emotional problems limited respondents’ productivity. Respondents who had turned age 29 since the previous interview were asked whether, during the past four weeks, they accomplished less than they would have liked in their work or other regular daily activities due to emotional problems such as feeling depressed or anxious, and whether they performed work or other activities less carefully than usual for the same reason.

Additionally, beginning in round 13, all respondents were asked how many times during the past 12 months they experienced an emotional, mental, or psychiatric problem that caused them to miss at least one full day of usual activities, such as work or school. They were also asked how many times they missed work because they were not feeling well emotionally, for example, feeling too depressed or anxious to carry out usual activities. (The latter question was not fielded in round 16.)

See also Attitudes & Noncognitive Skills Measures for a composite mental health score (FP_YMNTHLTH) indicating positive mental health or emotional problems. Higher scores reflect better mental health. Available in round 4 only.

Mental health treatment

Beginning in round 12, respondents who had been incarcerated were asked whether they received mental health treatment during their incarceration. Respondents with a previously completed incarceration that had not yet been reported were asked whether they received mental health treatment in the month prior to release.

In rounds 13-15, all respondents were asked how many times they had been treated by a mental health professional for emotional, mental, or psychiatric problems during the past 12 months. 

Out-of-the-ordinary stressors

In rounds 6, 11-13, and 16, respondents were asked whether they had been victims of violent crime or experienced homelessness. They also answered questions about whether any household members had experienced hospitalizations, incarcerations, or long-term unemployment, recent parental divorce, and the death of close relatives.