Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-12-2023
Abstract
Purpose
In 2020, racially/ethnically minoritized (REMD) youth faced the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and racism, both significant stressors with potential for adverse mental health effects. The current study tested whether short- and long-term trajectories of depressive symptoms from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic differed between REMD adolescents who did and did not endorse exposure to COVID-19-era-related racism (i.e., racism stemming from conditions created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic).
Methods
A community sample of 100 REMD adolescents enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal study of mental health was assessed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 51% girls, mean age = 16, standard deviation = 2.7, and identified as Latinx/Hispanic (48%), Multiethnic (34%), Asian American (12%), and Black (6%).
Results
REMD adolescents' depressive symptoms were elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels, and increases were more pronounced over time for those who endorsed exposure to COVID-19-era-related racism. In general, Asian American participants endorsed racism experiences at the highest rates compared to others, including being called names (42%), people acting suspicious around them (33%), and being verbally threatened (17%). Additionally, more than half of Black and Asian American participants reported worry about experiencing racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic, even if they had not experienced it to date.
Discussion
REMD adolescents are at increased risk for depressive symptoms related to converging stressors stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related racism, which has the potential to widen racial/ethnic mental health disparities faced by the REMD youth.
Recommended Citation
Liu SR, Davis EP, Palma AM, et al. Experiences of COVID-19-related racism and impact on depression trajectories among racially/ethnically minoritized adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2023;72(6):885-891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.12.020
Copyright
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Health Psychology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Journal of Adolescent Health, volume 72, issue 6, in 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.12.020
This scholarship is part of the Chapman University COVID-19 Archives.