The link between race and pandemic-related trauma

Throughout the history of the United States, people of marginalized and minority races and ethnicities have been subject to discrimination and systemic racism that we still see the results of today, in widespread economic inequality, and a lack of access to healthcare and educational resources. It is evident that the COVID 19 pandemic had an impact throughout the nation, however, these pre-existing inequalities meant that communities of color were more deeply impacted by the virus. 

This 2022 study that utilizes CDC data found that Black and Hispanic people were three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as white people. The study’s authors also hypothesize that the higher rates of infection among people of color, especially early on in the pandemic, are likely linked to communities of color being more likely to work in jobs that cannot be done remotely, live in larger households and more densely populated areas, and rely on public transportation. 

However, physical health was not the only thing impacted by the virus. Isolation, uncertainty, unemployment, a crashing economy, and cabin fever are just some of the factors that contributed to an increase in mental health issues over the pandemic. Even these stressors, while not unique to people of color, are heightened when you consider race. People of color are disproportionately affected by economic instability, meaning they may be less likely to want to take a sick day, and less likely to have access to mental health resources or therapy. Additionally, if you are on a lower income, the prospect of unemployment is more stressful. Beyond pandemic related factors, in 2020, the Black community was heavily impacted by the collective trauma caused by the widely circulated videotape of the murder of George Floyd.  

All this is to say, how and why we experience stress and trauma in the U.S. is intrinsically linked with race. Therefore, race must be considered as a factor when we are working to address the impact of the pandemic, mental health challenges, public health policy, and close the ever-expanding gaps in equal access to care, opportunities, and economic stability. Practitioners must adopt cultural relativism, which would mean framing a patient’s challenges through a lens that reflects their cultural identity. Beyond this, more therapists that are trained in racially and culturally sensitive therapy are required in order to account for the collective ongoing trauma caused in these communities.