Start Date
21-6-2021 10:10 AM
End Date
21-6-2021 10:55 AM
Topic
Mental Health
Session Chair
Lindsey Disney
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects socially vulnerable populations, including Asian Americans whereupon a host of disparities have worsened their mental health amid the crisis. In this, disparities arise given that Asian Americans disproportionately hold high-contact essential jobs that place them at greater health risk, Asian-owned businesses are overrepresented in sectors that have been hardest hit by COVID-19, and anti-Asian xenophobia and racism have been exacerbated. This paper seeks to investigate the theory of interactionism as it relates to the nature of the disparities faced by Asian Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic has signified the othering of sub-sections of the population, where many heard “China-virus” or “Asia-virus” commonly used by politicians or popular media to discuss the pandemic. According to interactionism, the role of the institutionalized authority, whether elected political leaders or the mass media, in sharing or excusing prejudice or discriminatory language towards people of Asian descent would position Asian Americans as the perceived cause, potentially increasing racial prejudice. Individuals’ beliefs, as often determined by what they read or hear from popular media, may influence their beliefs about the particular group, especially if they do not know anyone from that group. In relating this theory to mental health, the othering or prejudice of racial groups, especially in terms of interactionism among Asian Americans has led to a strain in psychological well-being and brought upon a rise in mental health challenges. Through the analysis, several disparities are identified for which recommendations are provided to mitigate the mental health challenges arising from associating COVID-19 to people of Asian descent. The disparities among Asian Americans span social conditions, cultural differences, personal factors, material conditions, and relationships, whereupon differences in race/ethnicity/language, transportation and housing, socioeconomic state, or household composition may weaken their ability to physically and mentally respond to and recover from a crisis. Based on the disparities between the public and Asian Americans and within different subsections of Asian Americans, we present two recommendations to help mitigate the impact and discrimination arising from the pandemic towards improving mental health. The recommendations are (1) implement stigma reduction education and training programs and (2) use research as a foundation to enact policy and governmental changes to address how Asian stigmas affect mental health. This research aims to build the groundwork for investigating race, particularly among Asian Americans and the differential effects of the crisis on mental health, to improve mental health response and service offerings during response and recovery.
Author Bio
(Presenter)
Elisabeth Dubois is a 3rd-year Information Science Ph.D. student in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity. She completed a B.S. in Digital Forensics and an MBA from the University at Albany, in 2018 and 2020 respectively. While at the University, she served in several leadership positions, has taught undergraduate classes, and has conducted interdisciplinary research. Currently, Elisabeth is a Research Assistant with Project HEROIC and serves as a Senior Researcher on two separate projects – one on addressing CSIRT capabilities in low-income countries and the other on the differential effects caused by technology and social divides during COVID-19. Her research interests and education are in the areas of emergency management and crisis communication, combining the fields of communication, business, public administration, IT and cyber, education, and international policy. Within these areas, she is most interested in the disparities among and within socially vulnerable populations in the US and low-income countries, especially during COVID-19. Elisabeth’s passion for this area of research stems from her volunteer work and serving as the Director of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives at The Global Child, a school and safe-house for former street-working children in Cambodia. In this role, she has engaged with and taught former street children, learning the realities of living in a post-war era and has been driven to investigate ways to address the inequities across sectors, both academically and practically. Using her educational background and passion for community endeavors, she does freelance consulting with small businesses and serves as the Vice President for the New Baltimore Conservancy – a local conservation NGO protecting and promoting the environment and land in and around New Baltimore, New York.
To learn more about Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan, you can go here https://www.albany.edu/cehc/faculty/xiaojun-jenny-yuan
Document Type
Extended Abstract
Included in
The Societal Impacts of COVID-19 on Asian Americans: Mitigating Mental Health Disparities Stemming from Labels Like the “China Virus”
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects socially vulnerable populations, including Asian Americans whereupon a host of disparities have worsened their mental health amid the crisis. In this, disparities arise given that Asian Americans disproportionately hold high-contact essential jobs that place them at greater health risk, Asian-owned businesses are overrepresented in sectors that have been hardest hit by COVID-19, and anti-Asian xenophobia and racism have been exacerbated. This paper seeks to investigate the theory of interactionism as it relates to the nature of the disparities faced by Asian Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic has signified the othering of sub-sections of the population, where many heard “China-virus” or “Asia-virus” commonly used by politicians or popular media to discuss the pandemic. According to interactionism, the role of the institutionalized authority, whether elected political leaders or the mass media, in sharing or excusing prejudice or discriminatory language towards people of Asian descent would position Asian Americans as the perceived cause, potentially increasing racial prejudice. Individuals’ beliefs, as often determined by what they read or hear from popular media, may influence their beliefs about the particular group, especially if they do not know anyone from that group. In relating this theory to mental health, the othering or prejudice of racial groups, especially in terms of interactionism among Asian Americans has led to a strain in psychological well-being and brought upon a rise in mental health challenges. Through the analysis, several disparities are identified for which recommendations are provided to mitigate the mental health challenges arising from associating COVID-19 to people of Asian descent. The disparities among Asian Americans span social conditions, cultural differences, personal factors, material conditions, and relationships, whereupon differences in race/ethnicity/language, transportation and housing, socioeconomic state, or household composition may weaken their ability to physically and mentally respond to and recover from a crisis. Based on the disparities between the public and Asian Americans and within different subsections of Asian Americans, we present two recommendations to help mitigate the impact and discrimination arising from the pandemic towards improving mental health. The recommendations are (1) implement stigma reduction education and training programs and (2) use research as a foundation to enact policy and governmental changes to address how Asian stigmas affect mental health. This research aims to build the groundwork for investigating race, particularly among Asian Americans and the differential effects of the crisis on mental health, to improve mental health response and service offerings during response and recovery.
Comments
The recording of this speaker ends at 2:03:02