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Systemic racism in the United States (US) created structural inequities that caused people of color to be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (Center for American Progress, 2021; Fernandez, 2020). Specifically, Indigenous and Latino populations were more likely to be infected with COVID-19 (1.6x and 1.5x), be hospitalized (2.4x and 1.8x), and die (2.0x and 1.7x) compared with non-Hispanic whites (Centers for Disease Control, 2023). Indigenous and Latino communities have endured through demonstrated cultural strengths and resiliency in the face of racism and historic oppression (Casanova et al., 2019; Shultz et al., 2021; Teufel-Shone et al., 2018) Previous studies have found that in addition to the negative physical outcomes of COVID-19, the pandemic also negatively impacted people’s mental health (Ganesan et al., 2021). Although it is important to examine the physical health implications of COVID-19, it is also important to examine strengths and protective factors that may have helped Indigenous and Latino communities cope with the negative mental health outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hope and optimism among self-identified Indigenous and Indigenous-Latinos and depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methodology:
Data for this study were drawn from a study (n=627) adults who self-identified as Indigenous or Indigenous-Latinos who were living in the US during 2020. Participants were recruited through various social media platforms. The sample consisted of 81.8% self-identified women and 18.2% self-identified men, almost 60% of participants were between the ages of 18-35. Over 60% of participants indicated their economic situation was “average.” Hope and Optimism was a 4-item scale (α= .85). Using the DAS-21 (Daza, Novy, Stanley, & Averill, 2002), the dependent variables in this study focused on participants’ self-reported symptoms of Depression (7-item scale, α= .90), Anxiety (7-item scale, α= .85, and Stress (7-item scale α= .92).
Three multivariate OLS linear regressions examined the relationship between hope and optimism and the mental health of Indigenous and Indigenous-Latinos living in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results:
The results indicated that participants who reported greater hope and optimism during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly more less to report symptoms of: 1) Depression (p < .001, CI(95%) -.597, -.212); 2) Anxiety (p < .001, CI(95%) -.453, -.101); and 3) Stress (p < .001, CI(95%) -.590, -.147).
Conclusions & Implications:
Participants who reported greater hope and optimism about the future, reported significantly lower symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. While causation cannot be inferred by the results of this study, it is nevertheless important to examine various cultural strengths that have enabled Indigenous and Latino populations to endure in the face of racism, oppression, and in this case, a global pandemic. In addition, social work researchers and practitioners must work with Indigenous and Latino communities incorporate Indigenous and Latino cultural strengths and traditional healing practices to address mental health issues. Social workers must continue to advocate for social justice in order to address the inequities caused by racism, white supremacy, and systemic oppression.