AAPI Hate's Impact Amidst COVID-19

The rise of COVID-19 and anti-Asian hate crimes can be detrimental to the mental health of Asian Americans. Individuals who experienced or witnessed racist events can experience increases in anxiety, depression, and difficulties sleeping. Stigmas and cultural prejudices related to mental health may discourage AAPI communities from accessing mental health resources. Language barriers and complications from insurance companies can also further prevent individuals from seeking mental health assistance.

The diagram above compares the percentage of racial populations in the United States who seek mental health services between 2008 and 2019. Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander populations are among the lowest demographic groups to pursue mental health services.

In a study conducted from May 2021 to March 2022, experiences and perceptions of anti-Asian racism and violence were gathered through a sample of 13 year old to 29 year old Asian American individuals through the Young Asian American Health Survey (YAAHS). The study concentrated on the respondent’s experience and mental health severity prior to the pandemic and after the spread of COVID-19.

Among the 176 participants in the sample, there was an increase in feelings of unsafety and depressive symptoms. The majority of respondents reported their increased use of coping resources and avoidance of public spaces since the pandemic. Although the sample size and demographics are very limited, the findings illustrate that participants have had more negative experiences in person or online since the pandemic.

COVID-19 and Xenophobic Attitudes

The spread of COVID-19 information influenced the increase in Asian-American hate crimes and xenophobic attitudes. Public media outlets, political figures, and public health officials, described the virus through emphasizing COVID-19 to its origins from China, rather than through scientific terminology. Examples of how the virus was referred to include the ‘Chinese virus’, ‘Wuhan virus’, ‘foreign virus’, and ‘kung flu virus’, relating the disease to its place of origin (Dhanani & Franz, 2021). By associating the virus to China, the public is likely to express negative attitudes towards individuals who appear racially Chinese. People may view different Asian ethnicities as one singular group, overlooking the various ethnic populations that originate from Asia. Xenophobic attitudes and stigmas may increase, and individuals may assume that all Asians are responsible for the introduction of the virus.

An example of President Donald Trump in 2020 referring to COVID-19 as the 'Chinese Virus'.

Sources

AAPI Hate's Impact Amidst COVID-19 Boden-Albala, B. & Ding, X., Ryan, N., et al. (2023). Anti-Asian racism related stigma, racial discrimination, and protective factors against stigma: a repeated cross-sectional survey among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in public health, 11, 958932. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.958932 Conroy, J., Lin, L., & Stamm, K. (2021). The demographics of unmet need for mental health services. Apa.org; American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/04/datapoint-mental Huynh, J & Chien, J., et al. (2023). The mental health of Asian American adolescents and young adults amid the rise of anti-Asian racism. Frontiers in public health, 10, 958517. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.958517

COVID-19 and Xenophobic Attitudes Dhanani, L. Y., & Franz, B. (2020). Why Public Health Framing Matters: An Experimental Study of the Effects of COVID-19 Framing on Prejudice and Xenophobia in the United States. Social Science & Medicine, 113572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113572