Racial and ethnic minority disparities in COVID-19 related health, health beliefs and behaviors, and well-being among students

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate racial/ethnic disparities in physical, mental, behavioral, and psychosocial COVID-19 impacts. Participants: In May 2020, 403 undergraduates (74% women; Mage = 20.4; 65% White, 19% Asian, 10% Latinx, 6% Black) were recruited. Methods: Participants completed a survey 2 months after their university switched to remote instruction due to COVID-19. Results: 15.2% reported either COVID-19 diagnosis or perceived symptoms, but there were no racial/ethnic disparities in this health outcome. Latinx and Asian students experienced higher COVID-19 related threat and negative beliefs than White students. Asian students experienced more discrimination and Latinx students experienced greater economic impacts. There were no differences in mental health or health behaviors. Conclusion: Results suggest that psychosocial impacts of a pandemic on undergraduate students vary by race/ethnicity, although mental health responses may be more universal. Implications for how colleges and universities can best serve student needs are discussed.

Keywords:

• disparities
• COVID-19
• student well-being
• psychosocial stressors
• mental health

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Pepperdine University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Pepperdine University’s internal research grants.