COVID-19 and the decline in Asian American employment

The impact of resilience and coping strategies on depressive symptoms among Korean American older adults during COVID-19

OBJECTIVES

This study examined how resilience and coping strategies were associated with depressive symptoms among Korean American older adults during COVID-19. The prevalent depressive symptoms and low use of mental health services in this population have raised significant concerns among healthcare professionals. Therefore, this study aims to understand the relationships between resilience and coping types on depressive symptoms and provide valuable insights into addressing these issues within this ethnic group.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 132 Korean American older adults. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed to assess the effect of sociodemographic factors (age, gender, marital status, years of living in the U.S., self-rated health, financial security), resilience, and coping strategies (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, avoidant coping) on depressive symptoms. Next, the interactions between resilience and three coping strategies for depressive symptoms were tested.

RESULTS

The findings show that depressive symptoms were associated with financial security and avoidant coping. Also, resilience interacted with avoidant coping and emotion-focused coping. Among the participants with low resilience, depressive symptoms increased rapidly when avoidant and emotion-focused coping strategies increased, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study emphasizes the importance of culturally tailored interventions to promote resilience and decrease avoidant and emotion-focused coping among Korean American older adults.

Profiles of a COVID-19 Syndemic: Anti-Asian Racism, Economic Challenges, and Mental and Physical Health

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians/Asian Americans have experienced co-occurring threats of anti-Asian racism, economic challenges, and negative mental and physical health symptoms.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the co-occurrence of COVID-19-related anti-Asian discrimination and collective racism, economic stressors, and mental and physical health challenges for Asians/Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined Asian/Asian American subgroups associated with these threats.

METHODS

Nationally representative data from the 2021 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project (unweighted N = 3,508) were used to conduct a latent profile analysis to identify unique typologies of the co-occurrence of these threats. We also conducted chi-square analyses to investigate subgroup differences by latent profile.

RESULTS

We identified five distinct latent profiles: multi-threat impact, low impact, collective racism, health challenges, and economic/health challenges. Forty percent of Asians/Asian Americans were in the multi-threat impact profile, indicating high levels across COVID-19-related threats. Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in profile membership. East Asians, US-born Asians/Asian Americans, and those aged 25-44 seemed to be particularly affected by the proposed syndemic; results also differed by income.

CONCLUSION

Asians/Asian Americans have experienced co-occurring and interrelated threats during COVID-19 that suggest the presence of a syndemic. Results from our study point to vulnerable Asian/Asian American subgroups and the need for targeted public health efforts to address racism, health challenges, and economic challenges in the context of COVID-19.

Racial and ethnic disparities in the association between financial hardship and self-reported weight change during the first year of the pandemic in the U.S

Studies have shown that financial hardship can impact weight change; however, it is unclear what the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on weight change in U.S. adults, or whether racial-ethnic groups were impacted differentially. We estimated the association between financial hardship and self-reported weight change using data from the cross-sectional COVID-19's Unequal Racial Burden (CURB) survey, a nationally representative online survey of 5,500 American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Latino (English- and Spanish-speaking), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, White, and multiracial adults conducted from 12/2020 to 2/2021. Financial hardship was measured over six domains (lost income, debt, unmet general expenses, unmet healthcare expenses, housing insecurity, and food insecurity). The association between each financial hardship domain and self-reported 3-level weight change variable were estimated using multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic and self-reported health. After adjustment, food insecurity was strongly associated with weight loss among American Indian/Alaska Native (aOR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.05-4.77), Black/African American (aOR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.02-3.11), and Spanish-speaking Latino adults (aOR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.01-5.35). Unmet healthcare expenses were also strongly associated with weight loss among Black/African American, English-speaking Latino, Spanish-speaking Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults (aORs = 2.00-2.14). Other domains were associated with weight loss and/or weight gain, but associations were not as strong and less consistent across race-ethnicity. In conclusion, food insecurity and unmet healthcare expenses during the pandemic were strongly associated with weight loss among racial-ethnic minority groups. Using multi-dimensional measures of financial hardship provides a comprehensive assessment of the effects of specific financial hardship domains on weight change among diverse racial-ethnic groups.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health and Mental Health Care During The COVID-19 Pandemic

During the pandemic, the overall mental health of the US population declined. Given higher rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths experienced by communities of color along with greater exposure to pandemic-related stressors (e.g., unemployment, food insecurity), we expect that the decline in mental health during the pandemic was more pronounced among Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults, with these groups also having less access to mental health services. We examine two nationally representative US surveys: the 2019 National Household Interview Survey (NHIS; N = 30,368) and the 2020-2021 Household Pulse Survey (HPS; N = 1,677,238). We find mental health of Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents worsened relative to White respondents during the pandemic, with significant increases in depression and anxiety among racialized minorities compared to Whites. There is also evidence of especially high mental health burden for Black adults around the murder of George Floyd by police and for Asian adults around the murder of six Asian women in Atlanta. White respondents are most likely to receive professional mental health care before and during the pandemic, and Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents demonstrate higher levels of unmet mental health care needs during the pandemic than White respondents. Our results indicate that within the current environment, White adults are at a large and systemic advantage buffering them from unexpected crises-like the COVID-19 pandemic. Without targeted interventions, the long-term social consequences of the pandemic and other co-occurring events (e.g., death of Black and Hispanic people by police) will likely include widening mental health disparities between racial/ethnic groups.

Mental Health Needs Among Asian and Asian American Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective:

Disaggregated data on the mental health of Asian/Asian American people are needed to inform public health interventions related to reports of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the prevalence of psychological distress and unmet mental health needs among Asian/Asian American adults during the COVID-19 pandemic across various sociodemographic subgroups.

Methods:

We used cross-sectional, weighted data from the US-based 2021 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander COVID-19 Needs Assessment Study (unweighted n = 3508) to estimate prevalence rates of psychological distress and unmet mental health needs, overall and by nativity status. We conducted population-weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine sociodemographic factors associated with these mental health outcomes.

Results:

About one-third (1419 of 3508) of Asian/Asian American adults (32.9%; 95% CI, 30.6%-35.2%) reported psychological distress; odds of psychological distress were increased among adults who were female, trans, and nonbinary; aged 18-44 years; US-born; Cambodian; multiracial; and low income. Of those reporting psychological distress (638 of 1419), 41.8% (95% CI, 37.8%-45.8%) reported unmet mental health needs; unmet mental health needs were highest among Asian/Asian American adults who were aged 18-24 years; Korean, Japanese, and Cambodian; US-born female; non–US-born young adults; and non–US-born with ≥bachelor’s degree.

Conclusions:

The mental health of Asian/Asian American people is an important public health concern, with some groups more vulnerable and in need of services than others. Mental health resources need to be designed for vulnerable subgroups, and cultural and systemic barriers to mental health care need to be addressed.

Sleep changes in Taiwanese first graders before and after school closure during the COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was (1) to examine sleep changes in first graders before and after school closure and (2) to examine the association between parental work rearrangement and children's sleep change during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This was an observational study. The children's sleep habit questionnaire was completed by 103 parents of first-graders before and after school closure. Paired t-test and the general linear model were applied to data analysis.

RESULTS

Children delayed their bedtime and rising time, but total sleep duration increased. Moreover, parents who rearranged their work during the pandemic perceived more child parasomnia symptoms (p = .029) and less delayed sleep-wake patterns in their children.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATION

Sleep is an indicator that reflects children's behavioral changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As routine changes, parents should be aware of child's parasomnia symptoms. Nursing interventions could aim at promoting sufficient external cues in the daytime during home confinement.

Unequal effects of the COVID-19 epidemic on employment: Differences by immigrant status and race/ethnicity

The COVID-19 epidemic resulted in a dramatic contraction in employment in the U.S., but the effects of this contraction have been unevenly distributed. We examine differences in employment among foreign- and native-born workers by race/ethnicity during the course of the epidemic. We test individual fixed-effects models based on data from the monthly CPS panel from January 2020 to December 2021 adjusting for seasonality. Immigrant men and women experienced greater declines in employment than non-immigrants of the same race/ethnicity when both compared to native-born Whites, but their disadvantage were limited to the initial months of the epidemic. Ethnoracial and immigrant status disparities were substantially reduced by the fall of 2020, except for Hispanic immigrant men and women, who still experienced substantial employment gaps with their native-born White counterparts. Differences in family characteristics account for Hispanic immigrant women's lower employment rates during the epidemic but do not appear to account for differences between Black and Asian women and native-born Whites. Observed disparities in employment by race/ethnicity and immigrant status cannot be fully explained by differences in education, the concentration of minority and immigrant workers in industries and occupations that suffered steeper employment declines, or regional differences in the intensity of the epidemic.

The Inequitable Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Marginalized Older Workers in the United States: An Intersectional Approach

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the lives of people globally, widening long-standing inequities. We examined the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on employment conditions by race/ethnicity, gender, and educational attainment and the association between such conditions and well-being in older adults in the United States.

METHODS

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study respondents interviewed between May 2020 and May 2021 when they were ≥55 years of age, we examined intersectional patterns in COVID-19-related changes in employment conditions among 4,107 participants working for pay at the start of the pandemic. We also examined the compounding nature of changes in employment conditions and their association with financial hardship, food insecurity, and poor self-rated health.

RESULTS

Relative to non-Hispanic White men with greater than high school education (>HS), Black and Latinx men and women were more likely to experience job loss irrespective of education; among those who did not experience job loss, men with ≤HS reporting Black, Latinx, or "other" race were >90% less likely to transition to remote work. Participants who experienced job loss with decreased income or continued in-person employment with decreased income/shift changes had greater prevalence of financial hardship, food insecurity, and poor/fair self-rated health than others.

DISCUSSION

The impact of COVID-19 on employment conditions is inequitably patterned and is associated with financial hardship, food insecurity, and adverse health in older adults. Policies to improve employment quality and expand social insurance programs among this group are needed to reduce growing inequities in well-being later in life.

The differential impact of COVID-19 on mental health: Implications of ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic's effects on mental health interact with preexisting health risks and disparities to impact varying populations differently. This study explored the relationship between demographic variables (e.g., ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status), distress and mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and pandemic distress), and vulnerability factors for COVID-19 (e.g., personal health vulnerabilities, community members' health vulnerabilities, and environmental exposure risks at work or home). An online cross-sectional study was conducted from 18 June to 17 July 2020, reflecting the impact of early phase COVID-19 pandemic and related shelter-in-place measures in the United States. Participants were adults residing in the United States (N = 594), with substantial subsamples (N ≥ 70) of American Indian, Asian American, African-American, and Hispanic and/or Latinx participants, as well as people with disabilities and sexual minorities. Outcomes measured were depression, hopelessness, somatic complaints, anxiety-related disorders, locus of control (LOC), and a novel measure of pandemic-related distress. Data were analyzed using analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), chi-square test, and correlation coefficients. Generally, younger individuals, and those with less financial power-across all identities-suffered more distress. When controlling for age, lower financial power was associated with higher scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R; r = -0.21, p = < 0.001), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS; r = -0.17, p < 0.001), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15; r = -0.09, p = 0.01), Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders for Adults Panic Disorder (SCARED-A PD; r = -0.14, p < 0.001), SCARED-A generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; r = -0.13, p = 0.002), SCARED-A obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; r = -0.08, p = 0.04), and the COVID-19 Pandemic Distress restriction/disconnection scale (C19PDS; r = -0.10, p = 0.009). In addition, disparities were found, in general, for marginalized identities by gender, sexual orientation, and disability status. Importantly, each ethnicity subsample showed a unique pattern of relationships between COVID-19 risk variables and mental health symptoms. The results support the hypothesis that any pandemic may amplify preexisting social and financial disparities. Overall, interventions at the clinical, governmental, or health equity level should take into consideration the needs of vulnerable groups.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Labor Markets of the Visegrad Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden and deep recession contributing, among other things, to a sharp rise in unemployment. The article addresses changes in the labor markets of the Visegrad countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia), covering the period 2018–2021. It attempts to answer the questions: how deep a slump was caused by the pandemic in these markets, how flexible forms of employment responded to it, and whether there were discriminatory phenomena (decline in employment and increase in unemployment in the most vulnerable groups in the labor market). The analysis was based on quarterly data published by Eurostat on the size and structure of the employed and unemployed population. The results of the compilations indicate a relatively small deepening of imbalances in the labor markets of the analyzed countries, a differentiated reaction of flexible forms of employment (depending on the form of employment), which was in line with expectations (they were used as a business cycle buffer). In most of the V4 countries, women were relatively less likely to lose their jobs than men during the pandemic. In a few cases, a relatively stronger decline in employment (increase in unemployment) affected young people, people aged 55–64, and people with the lowest education.

Ethnic minority, immigrants, and Indigenous people's well-being disparities in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of threat perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic's differential impact on ethnic minorities, immigrants, and Indigenous people (e.g., mortality and infection rate, as well as psychological well-being) may exacerbate existing disparities. This study examined perceived threat as a psychological mechanism to explain the apparently more negative emotional experiences of ethnic minority Canadians during the pandemic compared with non-immigrant European Canadians (i.e., the majority/mainstream ethno-cultural group). We investigated group differences in negative affect and three possible threat mechanisms (perceived health, material, and cultural threat) for these differences using an online survey completed by a self-selected Canadian sample (N = 1,918). The results suggest that compared to the non-immigrant European Canadian group, ethnic minority members, immigrants, and Indigenous people have on average perceived higher levels of pandemic threat, which in turn is associated with negative affect. These findings support the hypothesis that the amount of threat perceived by different groups during the pandemic might partially explain reported group differences in well-being.

The impact of the coronavirus on African American unemployment: lessons from history

In this article, our fundamental research question is to investigate the effect of the Coronavirus (named COVID-19) on the African American labor market. More specifically, we attempt to examine the potential economic impact of COVID-19 on the state of racial disparities among the African American labor market by examining two effects, namely, employment and income differentials, using national, state, and city level data (using data for all 77 neighborhood areas of the City of Chicago). Our central finding is that the labor market does not appear to treat black and white laborers as homogeneous, as attested by the finding that African American workers suffer from higher unemployment rates with higher volatility, lower median incomes, and they are more likely to work in the service sector, compared to their white counterparts, and we find this condition to be even larger in the City of Chicago. These findings have important policy implications.

Sustainability and Employability in the Time of COVID-19. Youth, Education and Entrepreneurship in EU Countries

This paper aims to identify several changes in the labor market structure in COVID-19 pandemic times. The context of the research is represented by the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the economic field, especially at the labor market level. This difficult situation could generate a negative impact in the sphere of traditional jobs and economic sectors. The main challenge for sustainable development in this new global situation is represented by human sustainability. Related to human sustainability, we emphasized the role played by the labor market and employability in mantling an optimal function at the social and economic level. For measuring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the economic sphere, we used a quantitative design based on descriptive and inferential statistics. The research variables are represented by unemployment rates in the EU-28, employability rates, educational levels, gender, economic growth, labor mobility, material deprivation, economic freedom, and human development indicators. Empirical findings present the situation of a deep economic crisis generated by economic degrowth and by high levels of unemployment rates in the EU-28. Moreover, we have observed several predictors of employability in the new pandemic context as: material deprivation by age (in the field of young people), employment rate by education (tertiary education), and economic freedom. Another important finding is related to the gender perspective. Statistical correlations estimate a positive linear correlation between gender (women) and low rates of employability in the EU-28. All these empirical results could prove valuable for scholars interested in the relations between employability and sustainability and for political decision makers involved in the effort of reducing the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic within national and trans-national economic systems.

Who is the "She" in the Pandemic "She-Cession"? Variation in COVID-19 Labor Market Outcomes by Gender and Family Status

The sharp decline in employment after the COVID-19 lockdown was not uniformly felt across demographic groups. Utilizing the 2017 to 2020 monthly Current Population Survey and using a difference-in-difference design, we investigate the varying impacts of COVID-19 on at-work status among the prime-working-age population, accounting for typical seasonal fluctuations in employment. The target population is grouped by gender, marital status, parenthood, and level of education. Our results uncover complex variations by gender, marital status, and children's age. Contrary to popular belief, married women without school-aged children did not experience a relative decline in employment compared to married fathers. A majority of disadvantages in employment that married women experienced are accounted for by controlling for typical seasonal fluctuations. The women whose employment was most distinctively adversely affected by COVID-19 during 2020 were less-educated never-married childless women and never-married mothers. Less-educated men who were not currently married also experienced a disadvantage in employment relative to equally educated married fathers. These findings imply that, during the pandemic recession, marriage offered a form of within-family insurance that we call the "added caregiver effect." The further implications of these findings are discussed.

Research on the impact of COVID-19 on Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises: Evidence from Beijing

COVID-19 leads small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to survive very hard. The development difficulties of SMEs lead to weak employment and GDP growth in various countries. In the process of COVID-19's continuous spread, what is the major reason for the difficulties of SMEs? This paper hopes to answer this question by studying SMEs in Beijing. On this basis, this paper uses structural equation model (SEM) to study the relatively fast recovery of SMEs in Beijing, China, to explore the factors affecting SMEs in the pandemic. After detailed desk research and interviews with relevant entrepreneurs, this paper collects 234 valid questionnaires from SMEs in various industries in Beijing with the help of Federation of Industry and Commerce and Chamber of Commerce in Beijing. Then the data is analyzed with the SEM, which shows the relationship between cash flow from financing activities, markets, employees, costs, government policies and the impact of the pandemic. Finally, an impact model of the pandemic on SMEs is established. The result of the model indicates that the direct effect of the pandemic on the market is the most prominent, and government policies can significantly reduce the negative impact of the pandemic on SMEs indirectly. Based on this, this paper puts forward some policy suggestions, such as the targeted issuance of consumption vouchers and the reduction of administrative barriers. This will enable megacities in various countries to improve policy support for SMEs and promote the recovery and development of SMEs.

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Determinants on the Portuguese Population: Protocol for a Web-Based Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 outbreak and consequent physical distance measures implemented worldwide have caused significant stress, anxiety, and mental health implications among the general population. Unemployment, working from home, and day-to-day changes may lead to a greater risk of poor mental health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This paper describes the protocol for a web-based cross-sectional study that aims to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.

METHODS

Individuals from the general population aged 18 years or more and living in Portugal were included in this study. Data collection took place between November 10, 2020, and February 10, 2021. An exponential, nondiscriminative, snowball sampling method was applied to recruit participants. A web-based survey was developed and shared on social media platforms (eg, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp groups) and through e-mail lists for recruitment of the seeds.

RESULTS

Data analysis will be performed in accordance with the different variables and outcomes of interest by using quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or mixed methods, as applicable. A total of 929 individuals had completed the web-based survey during the 3-month period; thus, our final sample comprised 929 participants. Results of the survey will be disseminated in national and international scientific journals in 2021-2022.

CONCLUSIONS

We believe that the findings of this study will have broad implications for understanding the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Portuguese residents, as well as aspects related to the informal economy. We also hope that the findings of this study are able to provide insights and guidelines for the Portuguese government to implement action. Finally, we expect this protocol to provide a roadmap for other countries and researchers that would like to implement a similar questionnaire considering the related conclusions.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/28071.

Prevalence of Depression Symptoms Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Two Asian American Ethnic Groups

Asian Americans have experienced compounding stressors during the pandemic as a result of racial discrimination. We aim of to investigate the prevalence of depression symptoms among Asian Americans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine differences based on socio-demographic factors. Data are from a cross-sectional study (N = 636) among Chinese and South Asian adults in Chicago collected between February and May 2020. One cohort of participants were surveyed from each ethnic group before the pandemic and a second cohort of participants were surveyed during the pandemic. Depression symptoms increased more than two-fold, from 9% pre-pandemic to 21% during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found an increase in depression symptoms during the pandemic for South Asians, men and adults older than 30 years. These findings call for public health education that effectively addresses anti-Asian harassment and violence and ensure that culturally competent mental health services are provided to Asian Americans from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Romanian Labor Market

The present research aims to establish the impact that the current crisis situation the planet is facing, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, has had so far on the Romanian labor force market. In this context, given the lack of information and information regarding this pandemic and its effects, the administration of a questionnaire among the population was considered to identify the research results. The method of semantic differential and the method of ordering the ranks were used for the interpretation of the results. With the help of this questionnaire, it will be possible to answer the question of the research in this study: What are the main effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Romanian labor market? The main results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Romanian workforce; the respondents of the applied questionnaire claimed that they obtained better results and maintained a similar income, but the health crisis also influenced the mentality of employees, with respondents stating that in the event of changing jobs, they would consider it very important for the new employer to ensure the conditions for preventing and combating COVID-19, as well as complex health insurance. However, analyzing at the macroeconomic level, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic induced an increase in the number of unemployed people in the Romanian labor market.