Biological Sciences Division
Published August 10, 2022 | Version v1
Journal article Open

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

Creators

  • 1. Harvard University
  • 2. King's College London
  • 3. Zoe Ltd
  • 4. University of Chicago
  • 5. University of California at San Diego
  • 6. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
  • 7. University of Minnesota

Description

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.

Data availability

Data collected using the COVID Symptom Study smartphone application are being shared with other health researchers through the U.K. National Health Service-funded Health Data Research UK (HDRUK) and Secure Anonymised Information Linkage consortium, housed in the U.K. Secure Research Platform (Swansea, UK). Anonymized data are available to be shared with researchers according to their protocols in the public interest (https://web.www.healthdatagateway.org/dataset/fddcb382-3051-4394-8436-b92295f14259). U.S. investigators are encouraged to coordinate data requests through the Coronavirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE) Consortium (https://www.monganinstitute.org/cope-consortium).

Files

journal.pone.0271661.pdf

Files (1.5 MB)

Name Size Download all
Article
md5:e1aed8189fa8ecad6967a215c1b9f176
1.4 MB Preview Download
md5:c245815c17f2913a35f37d1a2edc673b
27.9 kB Download
Tables
md5:317898a691259e3afc8c7ef3787642b5
61.0 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0271661
Other
oai:uchicago.tind.io:5877

Funding

NIH/NIDDK
NIH K23DK125838
American Gastroenterological Association
Research Scholars Award
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation
Career Development Award and Research Fellowship Award
National Institutes of Health
K01DK120742
National Institutes of Health
P50CA244433
Unknown funder
Pfizer Medical Grants Program
American Gastroenterological Association
COVID-19 Rapid Response Research Award
Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness
Mark and Lisa Schwartz

UChicago Information

Division(s)
Biological Sciences Division
Department(s)
Family Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience