Discrimination Experiences among Asian American and Pacific Islander Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Association with Mental Health Outcomes: Updated Findings from the COMPASS Study

Marcelle M. Dougan (), Marian Tzuang, Bora Nam, Oanh L. Meyer, Janice Y. Tsoh and Park Van M. Ta
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Marcelle M. Dougan: Department of Public Health and Recreation, San José State University, San Jose, CA 95192, USA
Marian Tzuang: Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Bora Nam: Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Oanh L. Meyer: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis (UCD), Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
Janice Y. Tsoh: Asian American Research Center on Health (ARCH), University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Park Van M. Ta: Department of Community Health Systems, School of Nursing, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Reports of escalated discrimination experiences among Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) continue. Methods: Using the original and follow-up surveys of the COVID-19 Effects on the Mental and Physical Health of AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) Survey Study (COMPASS I and COMPASS II) (n = 3177), we examined changes over approximately a 1-year period in discrimination experiences attributable to being AAPI and factors associated with worse mental health outcomes. Results: Experiences of discrimination remained high in COMPASS II with 60.6% (of participants (compared to 60.2% among the same people in COMPASS I) reporting one or more discrimination experiences, and 28.6% reporting worse mental health outcomes. Experiences of discrimination were associated with modest but significant increase in the odds of worse mental health: adjusted OR 1.02 (95% CI 1.01–1.04). Being younger, being of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or Hmong descent (relative to Asian Indian), and having spent 50% or less of their lifetime in the US (vs. US born), were significantly associated with worse mental health. Conclusions: The fall-out from the pandemic continues to adversely impact AANHPI communities. These findings may help influence policy initiatives to mitigate its effects and support interventions designed to improve mental health outcomes.

Keywords: pandemic; discrimination; mental health; AAPI; AANHPI; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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