As the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate communities of color around the country, Black Americans are facing additional stressors due to COVID-19.
Researchers from the University of Georgia study examined the perceptions of coronavirus threat and psychological distress among Black Americans and de-termined that the additional stresses arise from the prevalent belief among Black Americans worried that they might not recover from how hospitals treat them if they become infected with the coronavirus.
The study used data from the American Trends Panel survey by the Pew Research Center collected shortly after the initial outbreak in March 2020, a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States.
“We found that the perception that the coronavirus outbreak was a major threat to one’s health and the belief that Black Americans face racial discrimination in medical settings were both positively and significantly associated with higher levels of psychological distress,” said Ryon Cobb, assistant professor of sociology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and lead author on the study.
“While the notion has been floated among commentators, this is the first study that uses nationally representative data to assess whether this threat, or feeling, is real among Black adults, and then assess how it impacts their health,” he added.
The research also establishes a relationship between these two factors that multiply the risk. Cobb said the data suggest people may take preventive measures more seriously though it could also cause Black adults to engage less with the health care system.
“These findings highlight the complexity of how a public health crisis can influence Black community members’ navigation of an already unequal health care system in increasingly difficult circumstances,” W. Carson Byrd, associate professor at the University of Michigan, added.
“Discussions about dealing with the fear of just getting it or not often come down to, if you don’t get it, you’re fine,” Cobb said. “But the outbreak itself is stressful, and the increasing stress is part of people’s health, regardless of whether they have COVID.”
“By the time things are critical, at least for Black Americans, the perception is that there is little hope for recovery.”
