Prevalence of Depression Symptoms Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Two Asian American Ethnic Groups

Paula Lozano, Sandra Yu Rueger, Helen Lam, Naomi Louie, Alia Southworth, Chieko Maene, Yicklun Mo, Fornessa Randal, Karen Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Asian Americans have experienced compounding stressors during the pandemic as a result of racial discrimination. We aim of to investigate the prevalence of depression symptoms among Asian Americans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine differences based on socio-demographic factors. Data are from a cross-sectional study (N = 636) among Chinese and South Asian adults in Chicago collected between February and May 2020. One cohort of participants were surveyed from each ethnic group before the pandemic and a second cohort of participants were surveyed during the pandemic. Depression symptoms increased more than two-fold, from 9% pre-pandemic to 21% during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found an increase in depression symptoms during the pandemic for South Asians, men and adults older than 30 years. These findings call for public health education that effectively addresses anti-Asian harassment and violence and ensure that culturally competent mental health services are provided to Asian Americans from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)909-917
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume24
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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