TY - JOUR
T1 - Racial and Ethnic Disparities
T2 - Essential Workers, Mental Health, and the Coronavirus Pandemic
AU - Grooms, Jevay
AU - Ortega, Alberto
AU - Rubalcaba, Joaquin A.A.
AU - Vargas, Edward
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Evidence is emerging of the pandemic disproportionately impacting communities of color. This study investigates mental health distress among essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic across race and ethnicity. We evaluate individual responses to the patient health questionnaire and general anxiety disorder questionnaire using a unique, nationally representative data set. Our findings suggest that essential healthcare workers reported the highest rates of mental health distress at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. However, when evaluated across race and ethnicity, we find that Black essential healthcare workers disproportionately report symptoms of anxiety; while, Hispanic essential healthcare workers disproportionately report symptoms of depression. Additionally, we find that being a Black or Hispanic essential nonhealthcare worker is associated with higher levels of distress related to anxiety and depression. These findings highlight the additional dimensions to which Black and Hispanic Americans may be disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, it calls into question how the essential worker classification, compounded by US unemployment policies, is potentially amplifying the mental health distress experienced by workers.
AB - Evidence is emerging of the pandemic disproportionately impacting communities of color. This study investigates mental health distress among essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic across race and ethnicity. We evaluate individual responses to the patient health questionnaire and general anxiety disorder questionnaire using a unique, nationally representative data set. Our findings suggest that essential healthcare workers reported the highest rates of mental health distress at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. However, when evaluated across race and ethnicity, we find that Black essential healthcare workers disproportionately report symptoms of anxiety; while, Hispanic essential healthcare workers disproportionately report symptoms of depression. Additionally, we find that being a Black or Hispanic essential nonhealthcare worker is associated with higher levels of distress related to anxiety and depression. These findings highlight the additional dimensions to which Black and Hispanic Americans may be disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, it calls into question how the essential worker classification, compounded by US unemployment policies, is potentially amplifying the mental health distress experienced by workers.
KW - Social determinants of health
KW - coronavirus pandemic
KW - essential workers
KW - mental health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112247476&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85112247476&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00346446211034226
DO - 10.1177/00346446211034226
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85112247476
SN - 0034-6446
VL - 49
SP - 363
EP - 380
JO - Review of Black Political Economy
JF - Review of Black Political Economy
IS - 4
ER -