The dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racism: impact on early childhood development and implications for physicians

Abstract

Purpose of review The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted healthcare and racial inequities. This article discusses recent literature documenting the impact of racism on early childhood development, disparities in access to developmental services and ways healthcare providers and health systems can promote physician well being during these difficult times. Recent findings Exposure to racism begins prenatally, and early childhood experiences with racism are intimately tied to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Early intervention is key to treating children with developmental delay, but disparities exist in accessing eligibility screening and in the provision of services. Paediatric providers are at risk of developing secondary traumatic stress and burnout, which may affect the care that they provide. Summary New research has led to the development of resources that help paediatric providers address racism, access developmental resources in a novel manner and protect the paediatric workforce from trauma and burnout.

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“…Such questions are germane to the empirical study of racism, as a pandemic-oriented conceptualization implies that the spread and impact of racism is time-limited and that a post-racism society is imminent pending the identification of a vaccine that can inoculate society from further spreading it. The prevalence of racism and associated social inequities evident during the COVID-19 pandemic has been referred to as the dual pandemic (Brodie et al, 2021). Though undoubtedly exacerbated by COVID-19's disturbances to societal infrastructures (e.g., healthcare, housing, education), the pandemic-oriented categorization ignores that racism and social injustices have been woven into the fabric of the American society since its inceptionrampant within its systemic infrastructure and socially spreading, intentionally and unintentionally, among its hosts.…”

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“…Scholars have framed structural racism and COVID-19 in terms of "dual pandemics" (e.g., Brodie et al, 2021;Espina & Narruhn, 2021), but the intersection between these crises has been underexplored. Our study examines perceptions of inequities in the healthcare system as a potential mechanism that links disparities in public health to COVID-19 behavior.…”

“…Scholars have framed systemic racism and COVID‐19 in terms of “dual pandemics” (e.g., Brodie et al., 2021; Espina & Narruhn, 2021), but the intersection between these crises has been underexplored. Our study investigated potential sociocognitive linkages between the dual pandemics.…”