Covid-Related Discrimination Predicts PTSD Symptoms in Asian & Asian American Young Adults
“This paper provides empirical evidence that Covid-19-related discrimination is a serious threat to public health.”
A study led by Boston University School of Social Work Professor Hyeouk Chris Hahm has found that increases in anti-Asian discrimination during the Covid-19 pandemic were associated with a coinciding increase in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Asian and Asian American young adults.
Results showed that 68% of study participants – Asian and Asian American young adults in the U.S. – reported that they or their family was subjected to Covid-related discrimination, and fifteen percent reported verbal or physical assaults.
Compared to those who did not report any discrimination, those who did were statistically more likely to have symptoms of PTSD. These results remained consistent even after controlling for lifetime experiences of discrimination, systemic and indirect discrimination, and pre-existing mental health conditions.
“This paper provides empirical evidence that Covid-19-related discrimination is a serious threat to public health,” says Dr. Hahm, an expert on Asian American mental health. “Whether it’s on social media or in person, actions must be taken to change the narratives and rhetoric regarding Asian stereotypes so that bias and prejudice against Asians can be dismantled. The health of Asian Americans is the health of Americans.”
In addition to Dr. Hahm, the study was co-authored by fellow BUSSW faculty members Yoonsook Ha and Judith C. Scott; Harvard University’s Justin Chen and Cindy H. Liu of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and BU alumna Venissala Wongchai (CAS’20), a research data associate at New York University. To perform their analysis, the researchers used data they collected in the COVID-19 Adult Resilience Experiences Study (CARES), a cross-sectional online survey launched by Hahm and Liu in 2020 to evaluate the multi-faceted mental health consequences of the pandemic on young adults in the U.S.
The paper, “Perceived COVID-19-related anti-Asian discrimination predicts post traumatic stress disorder symptoms among Asian and Asian American young adults,” will be published in Psychiatry Research in September 2021 as part of a special issue on mental health and Covid-19.