This study examined the relationships of parental stress and racial discrimination to the psychological distress of Korean Americans (both US-and foreign-born) during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explored whether racial discrimination moderated the effect of parental stress on psychological distress. Using primary data collected between May 24, 2020, and June 14, 2020, via an online questionnaire, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models were conducted on 339 Korean American parents. Results indicated that parental stress and racial discrimination were associated with parental psychological distress. However, when the sample was divided by parental sex, racial discrimination played as a moderator, the interaction of discrimination, and parenting stress was associated with more psychological distress only for mothers. Based on the study results, we recommended that policymakers should consider policies and programs that can reduce racism to make up for the public health crisis associated with COVID-19; clinical practitioners also need to provide appropriate virtual mental/physical health services and interventions that can decrease parental stress and psychological distress amid COVID-19.
Background
While previous studies have examined the relationships between social support and health care accessibility among ethnic minority populations, studies on Korean Americans remain scarce. Therefore, this study aims to assess the relationship between Korean Americans’ mental health, accessibility to health care, and how they perceive the level of social support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method/result
We distributed online surveys to Korean Americans from May 24, 2020, to June 14, 2020, generating 790 responses from participants residing in 42 states. Binary Logistic and Ordinary Least Square regression analyses revealed that poor mental health was associated with language barriers inhibiting Korean Americans’ access to COVID-19-related information. Their perceived social support from family members and close friends was positively associated with mental health.
Conclusion
Our findings recommend that equipping community health care services with translators or interpreters is necessary. Additionally, health practitioners and staff should be trained to utilize telehealth tools to effectively treat individuals with mental health problems. American policymakers and health care professionals need to understand and address the unique hardships Korean Americans experience amid COVID-19.
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