Asian American Parents' Experiences of Stress, Discrimination, and Mental Health During COVID-19

• Published in: Families systems & health 2023-03, Vol.41 (1), p.68-77
• Main Authors: Huang, Cindy Y., Tsai, William
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Asian; Asian Americans; Asians; Child; Child, Preschool; Clinical outcomes; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Discrimination; Distress; Female; Human; Humans; Life Experiences; Male; Mental Health; Mental health care; Parental Stress; Parenting; Parents; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Racial discrimination; Racism - psychology; Risk factors; Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Test Construction; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1091-7527; 1939-0602
• DOI: 10.1037/fsh0000715

Introduction: COVID-19 has placed Asian Americans (AA) at higher risk for discrimination within the U.S. This exacerbates the mental health distress of AA parents, who are also experiencing COVID-19-related stress (e.g., health, financial, work, childcare). The risk factors associated with mental health outcomes for AA parents are not well understood. This brief report examined the relationships among COVID-19 stress, discrimination, and psychological distress of AA parents during the initial months of the pandemic. Method: Baseline data of an ongoing longitudinal examination into the COVID-19 experiences of AA parents and their families were utilized. Participants were 166 AA parents of children ages 2-19 years. They completed an online survey about their experiences of COVID-19-related stress (i.e., childcare, school, work), discrimination, and psychological distress. Results: The majority of AA parents were highly stressed due to school closures and childcare changes; school-age parents reported significantly more stress resulting from school closures than parents of young children or adolescents. Over 21% of AA parents experienced some discrimination resulting from COVID-19; the majority reported discrimination fears for themselves and their family/friends. Experiencing discrimination was positively associated with psychological distress, as was COVID-19 stress related to work performance and relationship quality. Conversely, the majority of parents reported increased quality time with their family (i.e., children, partners). Discussion: AA parents are experiencing high levels of COVID-19-related stress, and have the added psychological burden of experiencing and fearing racial/ethnic discrimination. However, the pandemic has led to families spending more quality time together. Implications for future studies are discussed. Public Significance Statement This brief report highlights the high levels of stress experienced by Asian Americans parents at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were also experiencing increased discrimination due to their race/ethnicity and worrying about discrimination as a result of COVID-19. These experiences adversely impacted the mental health of Asian American parents. If unaddressed, the detrimental effects of the ongoing pandemic and rise in Asian hate crimes may impair the well-being of Asian American parents.