Mental health ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Black Americans: Clinical and research recommendations.

Abstract

Mental health clinicians and researchers must be prepared to address the unique needs of Black Americans who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Race-conscious and culturally competent interventions that consider factors such as discrimination, distrust of health care providers, and historical and racial trauma as well as protective factors including social support and culturally sanctioned coping strategies are needed. Research to accurately assess and design treatments for the mental health consequences of COVID-19 among Black Americans is warranted.

Identifying Predictors of Psychological Distress During COVID-19: A Machine Learning Approach

“…There were no differences between White participants and participants of color in terms of anxiety, depression, and PTSS. This may be due to variability within different racial and ethnic groups in terms of economic stability, exposure to the virus, and other related factors (Himle et al, 2009;Novacek et al, 2020). There were, however, differences across all symptom categories when socioeconomic groups, albeit with small effects.…”

Associations between Adolescents’ Prosocial Experiences and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Although our sample was recruited from across the US, youth were primarily White and female, which limits the generalizability of our findings. A large body of research evinces gender, race, and ethnicity differences in the prevalence and reporting of mental health symptoms (Kessler et al, 2009) and indicates that natural disasters have disproportionately adverse effects on the mental and physical health of marginalized groups, particularly Black Americans (Pirtle, 2020;Novacek et al, 2020;Purtle, 2012;Purtle, 2020). Future studies would benefit from examining prosocial experiences in a more sociodemographically diverse sample of youth, which may yield a wider range of COVID-19 prosocial behaviors and negative experiences that our newly developed measures may not have captured.…”

Ethno-cultural disparities in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study on the impact of exposure to the virus and COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma on mental health across ethno-cultural groups in Quebec (Canada)

“…The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting social, cultural and economic systems around the world, and mounting evidence suggests profound and concerning negative effects of COVID-19 on mental health, with long-lasting consequences on society. [1][2][3] Preliminary reports from the USA and the UK have denounced how individuals that experience structural and social inequities, such as ethnic and racial minorities, 4,5 are disproportionately exposed to the virus and affected by the pandemic. This is because of systemic social and economic disparities, [6][7][8] including poverty, poor housing and inadequate healthcare, and has prompted a call to identify and address sociocultural health disparities in the COVID-19 crisis.…”

“…As a result, minorities and marginalised groups, who have already been severely affected by the pandemic, have also increasingly become the target of COVID-19-related racialised and discriminatory actions. 5,[9][10][11][12][13] Although conspiracy theories and 'othering' processes targeting minorities and at-risk groups are common in pandemics, 12 empirical evidence on the impact of sociocultural factors and COVID-19-related experiences of exposure, stigma and discrimination on mental health are scarce.…”