The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the norms, patterns, and power structures in the United States that privilege certain groups of people over others. This manuscript describes COVID-19 as an unprecedented catalyst for social transformation that underscores the need for multi-level and cross-sectoral solutions to address systemic changes to improve health equity for all. The authors propose that the American Psychological Association and its membership can initiate systemic change, in part, by: (a) supporting mutual aid organizations that prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities; (b) leveraging the efforts and strides APA psychologists have already made within the association, in the profession, and in policymaking to attend to the health equity and the needs of marginalized communities; (c) building capacity for collaboration between a broad coalition of health associations, health experts, and policymakers to address the physio-psycho-socioeconomic needs of disadvantaged communities, and (d) increasing APA's participation in the formulation and implementation of an advocacy agenda that prioritizes the physical and psychological health of the communities whose lives are most endangered by COVID-19. Public Significance Statement. Our article aims to emphasize the important role that social determinants of health play for marginalized communities. It has the potential to inform health professionals, including psychologists, about support and advocacy strategies that seek to improve health equity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is contained.

Objective: Asylum seekers suffer cultural, structural, and direct violence in the United States. The direct violence perpetrated by immigration and law enforcement officers adds to the complex and prolonged impacts of the traumatic experiences that asylum seekers often encounter premigration, during migration, and postmigration. The focus of this qualitative study is to understand how asylum seekers experience apprehension and immigration detention. Method: Using testimonio research, the authors explore the oral accounts of seven Latinx asylum seekers who were in immigration detention between 2018 and 2020. A thematic analysis (TA) of participants’ testimonios included coding by a five-person team, checks for internal validity, and the generation of themes across participants. To ensure that researchers’ interpretation of the data accurately represented participants’ responses, independent coding was used and referenced with the larger research team to cross-validate each other’s interpretations and to explore possible distortions in our interpretation of the data. Reflexivity, documentation, and peer debriefing were used to monitor and reflect on potential biases related to researchers’ shared identities with participants. Modifications to the codebook were documented, including changes to codes, themes, and subthemes. Results: Four themes were found in this study: no compassion, detention violence, postdetention trauma and health concerns, and resilience. Under detention violence, four subthemes were found: physical violence, ethnoracial violence, emotional and psychological violence, and violence against children. Conclusion: Sharing participants’ experiences is vital to ensure that helping professionals’ advocacy, research, service, and clinical efforts reflect asylum seekers’ needs and lived experiences.

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We tested if Latinx and Black individuals are more likely to somaticize depression compared with their White counterparts. We analyzed 14,745 depression ratings from 4,101 people living with HIV from 2007 to 2014. We calculated the percentage of each depression score accounted for by somatic symptom items (e.g., feeling tired). We analyzed depression scores using generalized estimation equations, which accounts for repeated measures within each person. Somatic symptoms accounted for 70% of depression scores for White patients, 66% for Latinx patients, and 68% for Black patients. Across the 14,745 assessments, adjusting for age and sex, and within-person correlation, the percentage of the depression scores made up of somatic items was lower for Latinx ( b = −.03, p < .0001) and Black patients ( b = −.02, p < .001), compared with White patients. The idea that Latinx and Black individuals are likely to somaticize depression may lead to underdiagnoses and perpetuate stereotypes and inequities that are not supported by empirical data.