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The mental health burden of racial and ethnic minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors :
Long H Nguyen
Adjoa Anyane-Yeboa
Kerstin Klaser
Jordi Merino
David A Drew
Wenjie Ma
Raaj S Mehta
Daniel Y Kim
Erica T Warner
Amit D Joshi
Mark S Graham
Carole H Sudre
Ellen J Thompson
Anna May
Christina Hu
Solveig Jørgensen
Somesh Selvachandran
Sarah E Berry
Sean P David
Maria Elena Martinez
Jane C Figueiredo
Anne M Murray
Alan R Sanders
Karestan C Koenen
Jonathan Wolf
Sebastien Ourselin
Tim D Spector
Claire J Steves
Andrew T Chan
Source :
PLoS ONE, Vol 17, Iss 8, p e0271661 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2022.

Abstract

Racial/ethnic minorities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The effects of COVID-19 on the long-term mental health of minorities remains unclear. To evaluate differences in odds of screening positive for depression and anxiety among various racial and ethnic groups during the latter phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of 691,473 participants nested within the prospective smartphone-based COVID Symptom Study in the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K). from February 23, 2021 to June 9, 2021. In the U.S. (n=57,187), compared to White participants, the multivariable odds ratios (ORs) for screening positive for depression were 1·16 (95% CI: 1·02 to 1·31) for Black, 1·23 (1·11 to 1·36) for Hispanic, and 1·15 (1·02 to 1·30) for Asian participants, and 1·34 (1·13 to 1·59) for participants reporting more than one race/other even after accounting for personal factors such as prior history of a mental health disorder, COVID-19 infection status, and surrounding lockdown stringency. Rates of screening positive for anxiety were comparable. In the U.K. (n=643,286), racial/ethnic minorities had similarly elevated rates of positive screening for depression and anxiety. These disparities were not fully explained by changes in leisure time activities. Racial/ethnic minorities bore a disproportionate mental health burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. These differences will need to be considered as health care systems transition from prioritizing infection control to mitigating long-term consequences.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19326203
Volume :
17
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
PLoS ONE
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5ae46caeb51648d2b4465e1d48aa8fbd
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271661