Exploring the Mental Health Needs of Latinx Families amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinx populations experienced disparities in access to and utilization of mental health care. Among those most vulnerable to disparities include those who are immigrants, low-income, uninsured, and have limited English proficiency. With the disproportionate traumatic impact of the pandemic on minoritized communities, including the lasting mental health outcomes that are beginning to emerge, it is critical to understand and address the mental health challenges experienced by these communities. The purpose of this study was to: 1) understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health of the Latinx community and 2) explore the experiences of individuals seeking support for their mental health concerns.

Method: Convenience sampling was used to recruit adult participants who identified as Latinx at a University-affiliated community center dedicated to supporting underserved community members in Southern California. Eight semi-structured focus groups were conducted in Spanish at the community center between January and March of 2023. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Forty-six women and four men (N=50) participated in the focus groups. Ages of the participants ranged from 19 to 72 and a majority (n=47) were born in Mexico. A descriptive phenomenological approach was utilized to explore the impact of COVID-19 on participants’ mental health and their experiences in seeking support. All data was analyzed in their original language using Nvivo. An opening coding process was used to code the first three transcripts. Based off the initial codes, a codebook was created to code the remaining transcripts. Finally, the codes were organized into new, overarching themes.

Results: Themes generated from the analysis included how participants viewed mental health, how the pandemic impacted the mental health of participants and their community, views on supporting one’s mental health, and feelings on and experiences of accessing mental health services. Participants expressed both positive and negative views of mental health while acknowledging the profound impact the pandemic had on the well-being of their community, especially children. While participants described often relying on their own coping mechanisms and community for mental health support, many acknowledged the importance of accessing formal support services. A recurring theme among all participants was the multiple barriers to accessing services (e.g., language) and systemic failures (e.g., insurance coverage) within the mental health care system.

Conclusions and Implications: Latinx communities are dealing with long-term negative mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a strengths-based perspective, the current study identified increased awareness of mental health challenges and resiliency among members of the Latinx community. Gaps in service utilization among this community must be addressed through policies and programming that make mental health care more accessible. Social work researchers and practitioners must continue to advocate for culturally and linguistically response services as well as the inclusion of the Latinx community in the development and evaluation of mental health programs and policies.