Primary Submission Category: Race/Ethnicity
Discrimination, Racial Trauma, and Mental Health Among Black Couples
Authors: Sierra Clark Alexandra VanBergen
Presenting Author: Sierra Clark*
The COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on the mental health and well-being of Americans and had disproportionate negative health effects for Black Americans. In the midst of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd ignited anger and grief and resulted in an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms, particularly for the Black population. This paper explores how experiences of discrimination and racial trauma from the murder of George Floyd shaped Black Americans’ depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic using a population-representative study of couples in America that contains representative samples of sexual, racial, and ethnic diverse individuals (National Couples’ Health and Time Study). We also consider how social support, community support, identity centrality, and relationship satisfaction may shape mental health for Black Americans. Preliminary results indicate that racial trauma and experiences of discrimination were significantly associated with higher depression and anxiety symptoms and lower life satisfaction. Higher levels of family support and relationship satisfaction were significantly associated with lower depression and anxiety symptoms, and higher life satisfaction. These results suggest that the racial trauma that resulted from the murder of George Floyd and experiences of discrimination had a negative impact on the mental health of Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and the quality of relationships with one’s family and partner may have curbed these poor mental health outcomes.