The following is a summary of “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19-Related Stressor Exposure and Adverse Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers,” published in the November 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Breslow et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate racial and ethnic inequalities in COVID-19-induced stressor exposure, pandemic-related distress, and adverse mental health effects among healthcare personnel in Bronx, New York, during an initial pandemic wave.

They utilized adjusted logistic regression models to analyze survey data from 992 healthcare workers, examining the varying prevalence of outcomes by race/ethnicity and their interactions.

The result showed that compared to White counterparts, Latinx, Black, Asian, and multiracial/other healthcare workers reported significantly heightened exposure to various COVID-19-related stressors, including redeployment, fear of illness, work autonomy limitations, and inadequate personal protective equipment access. Experiencing more of these stressors correlated with pandemic-related distress across all groups, and some experienced adverse mental health outcomes but not hazardous alcohol use across any group. Racial and ethnic groups did not significantly differ in these associations. Latinx healthcare workers exhibited notably elevated probabilities of pandemic-related distress and posttraumatic stress compared to White peers. Despite facing greater COVID-19-related stressors, Black, Asian, and multiracial/other healthcare workers showed equivalent or lower prevalence rates of adverse mental health outcomes. White healthcare workers had higher adjusted rates of moderate to severe anxiety compared to Asians and increased hazardous alcohol use compared to all other groups.

Investigators concluded that higher COVID stress for minority healthcare workers, likely due to systemic bias, calls for targeted support and equalizing risk exposure. 

Source: ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ajp.20220180