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An examination of racial and ethnic disparities in mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. South
- Source :
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Elsevier B.V., 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background The mental health of racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States may be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to greater experience of peri-pandemic stressors. Yet, few studies have systematically examined racial/ethnic differences in mental health outcomes in this context. Methods Data came from the COVID-19 Southern Cities Study, a probability-based, cross-sectional study conducted in May/June 2020 among adults living in the metropolitan statistical areas of Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and New Orleans. Unadjusted and adjusted associations between racial/ethnic identity and past-week depression and/or anxiety symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 score ≥ 3 or Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 score ≥ 3), trouble sleeping, physical reactions when thinking about COVID-19, and self-rated worsened mental health due to the pandemic were estimated in separate logistic regression models. Results Over 30% of respondents reported depression and/or anxiety symptoms, 21% reported physical reactions, 25% had trouble sleeping, and 33% worsened mental health since the pandemic began. Adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics and pandemic-related stressors, odds of anxiety symptoms (odds ratio (OR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–0.95) and worsened mental health (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36–0.94) were lower among non-Hispanic Black vs. non-Hispanic white respondents. Limitations No diagnostic assessments were used, and results may not be generalizable to later phases of the pandemic and the entire U.S. South. Conclusions Despite greater pandemic-related stressor experience, poor mental health outcomes were not more common among racial/ethnic minority individuals. However, interventions to reduce disparities in stressor experience and promote mental health are needed.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Psychological intervention
Ethnic group
Context (language use)
medicine
Ethnicity
Humans
Pandemics
Depression (differential diagnoses)
Minority Groups
business.industry
SARS-CoV-2
Stressors
Stressor
COVID-19
Odds ratio
Mental health
United States
Mental health, Race
Psychiatry and Mental health
Clinical Psychology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Mental Health
Anxiety
medicine.symptom
business
Demography
Research Paper
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15732517 and 01650327
- Volume :
- 295
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ec4377ec07a96607946a23f21d97ff6e