Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although reports indicate Asian Americans (AA) experienced racial discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, there exists a research gap that adequately details the nature and influence of racial discrimination on the mental health of AAs and key AA subgroups. This study aimed to capture the mental health and general racial and COVID-19-related discrimination experiences faced by AAs, and to examine whether discrimination associates with poor AA mental health outcomes. METHODS: This study analyzed survey data collected between November 2022 and July 2023 from 447 AA adults who participated in a community-driven needs assessment conducted in partnership with Chinese, Korean, and Filipino community organizations in Riverside County, California. Mental health symptoms and discrimination experiences were assessed using validated instruments. RESULTS: Data indicated that 16% and 15% of our AA participants screened positive for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, respectively, with 38% reporting COVID-19-related discrimination. AA participants reported experiencing 1.6 instances of general racial discrimination across their lifetime, with Filipino AAs reporting significantly greater frequency of general discrimination vs. other AAs. Linear regressions revealed significant associations between depression and anxiety symptomology with age, fair/poor general health, and experiencing general racial-but not COVID-19-related-discrimination (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The study found that a notable proportion of AA respondents reported experiencing both COVID-19-related and general racial discrimination, and highlights the potential adverse impact of racial discrimination on AA mental health. These findings underscore the importance of examining and reducing anti-Asian discrimination experiences to improve the mental health and well-being of AA populations.