Commentary: COVID-19 and mental health equity in the United States

Condon, Eileen M.; Dettmer, Amanda M.; Gee, Dylan G.; Hagan, Cheyanne; Lee, Ka Shu; Mayes, Linda C.; Stover, Carla Smith; Tseng, Wan‐Ling

doi:10.3389/fsoc.2020.584390

Cited by 18 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…One potential explanation for elevated COVID-19-related distress in youth from minoritized communities is their families’ increased exposure to the effects of COVID-19 ( 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ). Within some minoritized racial-ethnic communities (i.e., Black, Latinx, and some indigenous groups), COVID-19-related health disparities have been documented in elevated risk for infection, hospitalization, and mortality ( 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, during the pandemic, adults from Black, Latinx, and multiracial backgrounds have reported greater impacts on their mental health compared to non-Hispanic White adults ( 46 , 47 ). Public health models propose that this differential impact of COVID-19 across communities represents a syndemic, where the global health pandemic is co-occurring and intersecting with structural racism and mental health inequities leading to poorer outcomes ( 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ). However, few studies have examined the impact of ACEs on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in preadolescents and adolescents from minoritized racial-ethnic backgrounds in the U.S.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Longitudinal Impact of Childhood Adversity on Early Adolescent Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the ABCD Study Cohort: Does Race or Ethnicity Moderate Findings?

Stinson

Sullivan

Peteet

et al. 2021

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science

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Background During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, mental health among youth has been negatively impacted. Youth with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), as well as youth from minoritized racial-ethnic backgrounds, may be especially vulnerable to experiencing COVID-19-related distress. The current aims are to examine whether exposure to pre-pandemic ACEs predicts mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in youth and whether racial-ethnic background moderated these effects. Methods From May to August 2020, 7,983 youth (M age = 12.5, range= 10.6-14.6 years old) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study SM (ABCD Study®) completed at least one of three online surveys measuring the impact of the pandemic on their mental health. Data was evaluated in relation to youth’s pre-pandemic mental health and ACEs. Results Pre-pandemic ACE history significantly predicted poorer mental health (across all outcomes) and greater COVID-19-related stress and impact of fears on well-being. Youth reported improved mental health during the pandemic (from May to August 2020). While reporting similar levels of mental health, youth from minoritized racial-ethnic backgrounds had elevated COVID-19-related worry, stress, and impact on well-being. Race and ethnicity generally did not moderate ACE effects. Older youth, girls, and those with greater pre-pandemic internalizing symptoms also reported greater mental health symptoms. Conclusions Youth who experienced greater childhood adversity reported greater negative affect and COVID-19-related distress during the pandemic. Although they reported generally better mood, Black, Asian American, and multiracial youth reported greater COVID-19-related worry and experienced COVID-19 related discrimination compared to non-Hispanic White youth, highlighting potential health disparities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal Impact of Childhood Adversity on Early Adolescent Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the ABCD Study Cohort: Does Race or Ethnicity Moderate Findings?

Stinson

Sullivan

Peteet

et al. 2021

Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science

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“…This is especially true for already at-risk and vulnerable populations who were dealing with adversities pre-pandemic. Research indicates that families from disadvantaged and marginalized communities experienced sharp increases in stress from elevated environmental exposure to COVID-19, as well as difficult choices between childcare, work, employment, food, housing, health care insecurity, and taking care of sick family members—all of which can compromise parents’ ability to provide consistent and sensitive parenting, thus reducing primary social and emotional supports available to children (Condon et al, 2020; Prime et al, 2020). In some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown an even brighter spotlight on how inequity results in disparities, and how this then results in a downward cycle of greater risk and vulnerability.…”

Section: Crisis Impact and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID-19 pandemic as a long-term school crisis: Impact, risk, resilience, and crisis management.

Nickerson

Sulkowski²

2021

School Psychology

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents school communities across the United States and world with an unpresented challenge. Virtually, all members of school communities have been impacted and the long-term ramifications of the pandemic remain unknown. However, despite being a novel virus, crisis management practices for other crisis (e.g., natural disasters, technological disasters, unexpected deaths) have utility for school safety promotion and helping affected individuals cope effectively with the monumental challenges they face during the pandemic. Such practices can reduce risk while fostering resilience concomitantly. This special issue, Perspectives on COVID-19: Addressing Diverse Needs of Children, Youth, Families, Educators, and Human Service Professionals, includes a diverse collection of conceptual, quantitative, and qualitative articles addressing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on youth and their families, educators, allied human services professionals, and the systems in which they work. Consistent with a crisis management and risk and resilience perspectives, articles emphasize youth most vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19, including youth with disabilities, from minoritized backgrounds, and within underserved populations. Articles also have implications for coping, resilience, and intervention and focus on how service delivery can best meet the needs of those impacted by acute and chronic crisis events. The research and scholarship included in this special issue represents an important step forward with providing school psychologists and related professions with cutting-edge information that can help enhance their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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“…Such systemic interventions are broad in scope and include but are not limited to COVID-19 relief bills, a fair minimum wage, paid family/parental leave, expansion of Medicaid and/or universal health care, and equitable access to education including early childhood education and childcare. Improving equity in health care access is particularly key, including investment in a culturally and linguistically competent workforce, increased availability of testing and personal protective equipment, and reduction of health care bias and stigma ( (Condon et al, 2020). While it is beyond our scope to outline these policies in detail, many are evidence-based and known to reduce the risk of developing mental and behavioral health disorders (WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2008;Taylor et al, 2016).…”

Section: System- Family- and Individual-focused Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prefrontal cortex in a pandemic: Restoring functions with system-, family-, and individual-focused interventions.

Arnsten¹,

Condon²,

Dettmer³

et al. 2021

American Psychologist

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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unanticipated and uncontrollable chronic stressor that is detrimental to the mental and behavioral health of children and families, particularly those from disadvantaged and marginalized backgrounds. Chronic stress impairs a myriad of prefrontal cortical functions, important for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, and has consequences on dyadic parent-child functioning. Informed by neuroscience and clinical evidence, sensitive parenting is a vital avenue of intervention that buffers against the toxic effects of COVID-19 on parent-child mental health. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we first discuss the neurobiological, psychological, and behavioral mechanisms behind exacerbated mental health risks in families. We then highlight the role of sensitive parenting as a buffer against stressrelated mental health problems, and conclude with recommendations for systemic-, family-, and individual-interventions to most effectively address stress-related mental health problems and their impact on children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Significance StatementThis review examines the neurobiological mechanisms underlying exacerbated mental health risks in disadvantaged and marginalized families during the COVID-19 pandemic, and potential interventions. The chronic stress of COVID-19 impacts various prefrontal cortical functions that are critical for adaptive emotion regulation, mentalizing, and coping skills in children and their caregivers. These functions can be restored by systemic policies that address long-standing structural racism and mental health inequities, as well as family-and individual-level interventions that aim to reduce stress and promote sensitive caregiving.

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Commentary: COVID-19 and mental health equity in the United States

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

Longitudinal Impact of Childhood Adversity on Early Adolescent Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the ABCD Study Cohort: Does Race or Ethnicity Moderate Findings?

Longitudinal Impact of Childhood Adversity on Early Adolescent Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the ABCD Study Cohort: Does Race or Ethnicity Moderate Findings?

The COVID-19 pandemic as a long-term school crisis: Impact, risk, resilience, and crisis management.

The prefrontal cortex in a pandemic: Restoring functions with system-, family-, and individual-focused interventions.

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