Mental Health Needs Among Asian and Asian American Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Disaggregated data on the mental health of Asian/Asian American people are needed to inform public health interventions related to reports of racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe the prevalence of psychological distress and unmet mental health needs among Asian/Asian American adults during the COVID-19 pandemic across various sociodemographic subgroups. METHODS: We used cross-sectional, weighted data from the US-based 2021 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander COVID-19 Needs Assessment Study (unweighted n = 3508) to estimate prevalence rates of psychological distress and unmet mental health needs, overall and by nativity status. We conducted population-weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine sociodemographic factors associated with these mental health outcomes. RESULTS: About one-third (1419 of 3508) of Asian/Asian American adults (32.9%; 95% CI, 30.6%-35.2%) reported psychological distress; odds of psychological distress were increased among adults who were female, trans, and nonbinary; aged 18-44 years; US-born; Cambodian; multiracial; and low income. Of those reporting psychological distress (638 of 1419), 41.8% (95% CI, 37.8%-45.8%) reported unmet mental health needs; unmet mental health needs were highest among Asian/Asian American adults who were aged 18-24 years; Korean, Japanese, and Cambodian; US-born female; non-US-born young adults; and non-US-born with ≥bachelor's degree. CONCLUSIONS: The mental health of Asian/Asian American people is an important public health concern, with some groups more vulnerable and in need of services than others. Mental health resources need to be designed for vulnerable subgroups, and cultural and systemic barriers to mental health care need to be addressed.

Disparities in the unmet mental health needs between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ populations during COVID-19 in the United States from 21 July 2021 to 9 May 2022.

Background: Evidence highlighted the likelihood of unmet mental health needs (UMHNs) among LGBTQ+ than non-LGBTQ+ populations during COVID-19. However, there lacks evidence to accurately answer to what extent the gap was in UMHN between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ populations. We aim to evaluate the difference in UMHN between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ during COVID-19. Methods: Cross-sectional data from Household Pulse Survey between 21 July 2021 and 9 May 2022 were analyzed. LGBTQ+ was defined based on self-reported sex at birth, gender, and sexual orientation identity. UMHN was assessed by a self-reported question. Multivariable logistic regressions generated adjusted odds ratios (AODs) of UMHN, both on overall and subgroups, controlling for a variety of socio-demographic and economic-affordability confounders. Findings: 81267 LGBTQ+ and 722638 non-LGBTQ+ were studied. The difference in UMHN between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ (as reference) varied from 4.9% (95% CI 1.2-8.7%) in Hawaii to 16.0% (95% CI 12.2-19.7%) in Utah. In multivariable models, compared with non-LGBTQ+ populations, LGBTQ+ had a higher likelihood to report UMHN (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI 2.18-2.39), with the highest likelihood identified in transgender (AOR = 3.63, 95% CI 2.97-4.39); compared with LGBTQ+ aged 65+, LGBTQ+ aged 18-25 had a higher likelihood to report UMHN (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.75); compared with White LGBTQ+ populations, Black and Hispanic LGBTQ+ had a lower likelihood to report UMHN (AOR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.63-0.82; AOR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.75-0.97, respectively). Interpretation: During the COVID-19, LGBTQ+ had a substantial additional risk of UMHN than non-LGBTQ+. Disparities among age groups, subtypes of LGBTQ+, and geographic variance were also identified.