In March 2020, New York City (NYC) experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which resulted in a 78-day mass confinement of all residents other than essential workers. The aims of the current study were to (1) document the breadth of COVID-19 experiences and their impacts on college students of a minority-serving academic institution in NYC; (2) explore associations between patterns of COVID-19 experiences and psychosocial functioning during the prolonged lockdown, and (3) explore sex and racial/ethnic differences in COVID-19-related experiences and mental health correlates. A total of 909 ethnically and racially diverse students completed an online survey in May 2020. Findings highlight significant impediments to multiple areas of students’ daily life during this period (i.e., home life, work life, social environment, and emotional and physical health) and a vast majority reported heightened symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety. These life disruptions were significantly related to poorer mental health. Moreover, those who reported the loss of a close friend or loved one from COVID-19 (17%) experienced significantly more psychological distress than counterparts with other types of infection-related histories. Nonetheless, the majority (96%) reported at least one positive experience since the pandemic began. Our findings add to a growing understanding of COVID-19 impacts on psychological health and contribute the important perspective of the North American epicenter of the pandemic during the time frame of this investigation. We discuss how the results may inform best practices to support students’ well-being and serve as a benchmark for future studies of US student populations facing COVID-19 and its aftermath.

Objectives: In this study, we examined the association of ethnic and American identity with depression and anxiety and whether this relation is mediated by Bicultural Identity Integration. Method: We recruited racial and ethnic minority immigrant college students (N ϭ 766, M age ϭ 19.89, 60.4% women, 19.8% Black, 34.2% Hispanic, 36.6% Asian, and 9.4% other) who completed a series of self-report questionnaires. Participants answered questions relating to their ethnic and American identities, the degree to which these identities are compatible (i.e., Bicultural Identity Integration; BII), and presence of depression and anxiety symptoms. We conducted hierarchical linear regressions to test the direct relations between ethnic and American identity, BII, and depression and anxiety symptoms. We used bootstrapping to test the mediating role of BII. Results: Our analyses showed significant negative associations between American identity and BII cultural harmony with depression symptoms. BII cultural harmony was also negatively associated with anxiety symptoms. BII cultural harmony mediated the relations between American identity and both depression and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Perceived compatibility between ethnic and American identities is seemingly important for understanding the relation between national identity and mental health among racial and ethnic minority immigrants. However, longitudinal research designs would help assess causality in the relations found herein.

To promote a better understanding of the impact of refugee resettlement work on refugee resettlement workers, this study examined the prevalence rates of deleterious mental health and occupational outcomes, such as secondary traumatic stress and burnout, among a sample of 210 refugee resettlement workers at six refugee resettlement agencies in the United States. The study also explored coping mechanisms used by service providers to manage work-related stress and the influence of such strategies and emotional intelligence on secondary traumatic stress and burnout. Our findings show that certain coping strategies, including self-distraction, humor, venting, substance use, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame, were strongly related to deleterious outcomes, βs = .18 to .38, ps = .023 to < .001. Emotional intelligence was a negative correlate for all outcomes, βs = -.25 to -.30, ps < .001, above and beyond the effects of trauma, coping styles, job, and demographic characteristics. These findings have potential implications for clinical training and organizational policy regarding refugee mental health.

Strong ethnic group affiliation and connection may serve a protective function for psychosis risk in racially discriminating environments and contexts among REM young adults. The possible social benefits of strong ethnic identification among REM youth who face racial discrimination should be explored further in clinical high-risk studies.