ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 crisis can be defined as a collective trauma, which contributes to an upheaval of community connection and functioning. The current pandemic has also illuminated disparities in mental health supports. In this commentary, we highlight one community organization, located in metro Detroit, that has responded to the trauma by bolstering resources and supports for residents, many of whom are ethnoracial minorities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Community Mental Health Services/organization & administration , Coronavirus Infections , Healthcare Disparities/ethnology , Pandemics , Patient Acceptance of Health Care/ethnology , Pneumonia, Viral , Poverty/ethnology , Psychological Trauma/ethnology , Psychological Trauma/therapy , COVID-19 , Humans , Michigan/ethnology , Psychological Trauma/etiologyABSTRACT
The mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly relevant in African-American communities because African-Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the disease, yet they are traditionally less engaged in mental health treatment compared with other racial groups. Using the state of Michigan as an example, we describe the social and psychological consequences of the pandemic on African-American communities in the United States, highlighting community members' concerns about contracting the disease, fears of racial bias in testing and treatment, experiences of sustained grief and loss, and retraumatization of already-traumatized communities. Furthermore, we describe the multilevel, community-wide approaches that have been used thus far to mitigate adverse mental health outcomes within our local African-American communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).