COVID-Related Victimization, Racial Bias and Employment and Housing Disruption Increase Mental Health Risk Among U.S. Asian, Black and Latinx Adults

Frontiers in Public Health

卷:9

Celia B. Fisher¹  Salvatore Giorgi²  Xiangyu Tao³  Brenda Curtis⁴  Tingting Liu⁵ 

[1] Center for Ethics Education, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, United States;

[2] Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States;

[3] Department of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, United States;

[4] National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD, United States;

[5] Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States;

关键词: COVID-19;    mental health;    victimization distress;    racial bias;    discrimination;    housing;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2021.772236

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: The mental health of racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the extent to which disruptions in employment and housing, coronavirus-specific forms of victimization and racial bias independently and conjointly contributed to mental health risk among Asian, Black, and Latinx adults in the United States during the pandemic.Methods: This study reports on data from 401 Asian, Black, and Latinx adults (age 18–72) who participated in a larger national online survey conducted from October 2020–June 2021, Measures included financial and health information, housing disruptions and distress in response to employment changes, coronavirus related victimization distress and perceived increases in racial bias, depression and anxiety.Results: Asian participants had significantly higher levels of COVID-related victimization distress and perceived increases in racial bias than Black and Latinx. Young adults (<26 years old) were more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, and coronavirus victimization distress than older respondents. Having at least one COVID-related health risk, distress in response to changes in employment and housing disruptions, pandemic related victimization distress and perceived increases in racial bias were positively and significantly related to depression and anxiety. Structural equation modeling indicated COVID-related increases in racial bias mediated the effect of COVID-19 related victimization distress on depression and anxiety.Conclusions: COVID-19 has created new pathways to mental health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. by exacerbating existing structural and societal inequities linked to race. Findings highlight the necessity of mental health services sensitive to specific challenges in employment and housing and social bias experienced by people of color during the current and future health crises.

【 授权许可】

Unknown