Applying culturalist methodologies to discern COVID‐19's impact on communities of color

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color (CoC) amid increasing incidents of racial injustices and racism. In this article, we describe our culturalist methodologies for designing and implementing a multi‐ethnic, interdisciplinary national needs assessment developed in partnership with CoC. Instead of a typical western‐centric social science approach that typically ignores and perpetuates structural racism and settler colonialism, the research team implemented culturalist and community‐partnered approaches that were further contextualized to the context of structural racism and settler colonialism. The culturalist approach yielded two sets of themes both related to the impact of the pandemic on CoC. The first set involved syndemic factors that contribute to the adverse impact of COVID‐19. These include historical trauma; racism, racial stress, and discrimination; and cultural mistrust. The second set consisted of factors that potentially mitigate the impact of the COVID‐19. These include cultural protective factors; community engagement; communal ethos, and data disaggregation. Our methodologies and the resulting findings encourage research praxis that uplifts the shared effects of the social determinants of health while honoring unique cultural and contextual experiences—a lesson that social science researchers largely have yet to learn.

Socioeconomic Inequities in Vaccine Hesitancy Among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

“…The Asian American and NH/PI COVID-19 Needs Assessment was conducted between January 19 and April 9, 2021, as part of a larger study examining the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. 11 The needs assessment consisted of questions regarding physical health, mental health, stress and coping experiences, impact of racism, educational challenges, food security, housing security, labor and economics, access to health care and health information, including COVID-19 testing, and community supports and assets. Survey respondents were recruited through a Qualtrics online panel and convenience samples through community outreach.…”

Internalization of the model minority myth and sociodemographic factors shaping Asians/Asian Americans' experiences of discrimination during COVID‐19

“…The current study fills a critical gap in the field's understanding of the racialized experiences of A/AA and how internalized MMM shapes these experiences. Particularly given recent calls for community psychologists to uplift researchers with the cultural attunement and insight to study the complex experiences of BIPOC communities (Grills et al, 2022 ), the current study is an example of how alignment between researchers and communities of study can uncover important nuances in the experiences of these communities. Scholars should employ more in‐depth qualitative methods to further investigate the role of internalized MMM, as well as other forms of internalized oppression, in A/AA college students’ experiences amidst the syndemic.…”

“…Since the COVID‐19 pandemic began, Asians/Asian Americans (A/AA) have reported significantly greater racial discrimination, with incidents occurring with even higher frequency one year later (Chen et al, 2020; Jeung et al, 2021; Misra et al, 2020). The distinct experiences of A/AA during COVID‐19 reveal a syndemic of interrelated, synergistic threats—including COVID‐19 illness and death, anti‐Asian racism, social and economic stressors, and health and mental health challenges (Grills et al, 2022; Saw et al, 2022). A/AA college students are at a particularly challenging intersection of the syndemic, as they experienced various disruptions in their schooling, work, and housing, as well as faced racial tensions on campus and a lack of support from institutional leaders (Molock & Parchem, 2021; Tausen et al, 2020; Wong‐Pandoongpatt et al, 2022).…”

Racial reckoning, resistance, and the revolution: A call to community psychology to move forward

“…Since March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization announced coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19) a pandemic, individuals across the globe have endured this health emergency, and for many communities of Color (COC), they have been navigating a syndemic, meaning the impact of two concurrent epidemics (Cokley et al, 2022; Grills et al, 2022; Lewis et al, 2022). The first pandemic of white supremacy involves the enduring subjugation of COC into racial hierarchies that contributes to marginalization and negative, lifelong health outcomes (Cokley et al, 2022; Grills et al, 2022; Lewis et al, 2022; Zhou et al, 2022). Historically, COC experienced various forms of marginalization including, scientific racism to justify racial superiority, displacement of indigenous people from their homelands, and centuries of discrimination and unequal treatment (Lea, 2020).…”

“…Thus, when the second pandemic, COVID‐19, simultaneously interacted with the first pandemic, COC experienced racist incidents (e.g., harassment, hate speech, and violence) as well as called attention to continuous police brutality and healthcare disparities. Moreover, these communities, at the onset of COVID‐19, initially represented a substantial percentage of infections and deaths (CDC, 2020a, 2020b; Price‐Haywood et al, 2020; Rodriguez‐Diaz et al, 2020; Thakur et al, 2020) because of racist discriminatory practices and policies (Beals et al, 2021; Cokley et al, 2022; Grills et al, 2022). Living through these two, severe crises brought about a racial reckoning to effectuate social change against historically rooted white supremacist ideologies, practices, and policies (Beals et al, 2021; Grills et al, 2022).…”