Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) data contributed by 13,829 respondents to a national survey about COVID-19 restrictions in Australia

While the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) are frequently used in mental health research, few studies have reported comprehensive data on these measures from population or community samples. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were used as indicators of symptoms of depression and anxiety in a national online anonymous survey to assess the mental health of adults in Australia during the COVID-19 restrictions. The aim of this study was to describe gender- and age-specific PHQ-9 and GAD-7 item and summary data contributed by those who completed this survey. Data were analysed descriptively. Complete survey responses were contributed by 13,829 people. For both measures, item-by-item results, summary statistics (mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, median and interquartile range) and prevalence of severity categories are reported for the whole sample, and disaggregated by gender and age groups. These comprehensive data provide a useful point of comparison for future COVID-19-related or other research among population or community samples. Other researchers are encouraged to report detailed PHQ-9 and GAD-7 data in the future, to enable and promote relevant between-group comparisons.