Chinese Canadians' Experiences of the Dual Pandemics of COVID-19 and Racism: Implications for Identity, Negative Emotion, and Anti-Racism Incident Reporting

De nombreux Canadiens d'origine chinoise ont connu un plus grand nombre d' incidents de racisme et de xénophobie depuis le début de la pandémie de coronavirus (COVID-19). La présente étude porte sur cette discrimination accrue a l'égard des Chinois et en quoi celleci et les menaces liées a la pandémie elle-meme nuisent au bien-etre des Canadiens d' origine chinoise ainsi qu' a leur identité chinoise et canadienne. Nous avons interrogé 874 adultes d'origine chinoise de partout au Canada - M?ge = 42,09;47,7 % de femmes;628 nés a l'étranger, de premiere génération (G1), et 246 nés au Canada, de deuxieme génération (G2) au moins. Les taux rapportés d'expériences discriminatoires sont alarmants : plus de la moitié des répondants ont dit avoir été traités avec moins de respect en raison deleurethnie (G1: 60,6 %;G2: 56,8 %), et plus du tiers ont dit avoir été personnellement menacés ou avoir été victimes d' intimidation (G1 : 35,2%;G2 : 39,8%). Le statut générationnel influait sur les expériences des Canadiens d' origine chinoise durant la pandémie : les membres de la G1 ont ressenti davantage de menaces pour leur santé, leur situation financiere et leur culture durant la pandémie, et les membres de la G2 ont témoigné d'une plus grande discrimination personnelle et a l'égard de leur groupe. La discrimination perçue était associée a l'affect négatif, meme apres avoir tenu compte des menaces liées a la pandémie. Le type de discrimination a des répercussions différentes pour les identités culturelles patrimoniale et dominante. Au sein des deux groupes, la discrimination personnelle était négativement associée a l' identité canadienne, et la discrimination de groupe était positivement associée a l'identité chinoise. Environ 10 % seulement des Canadiens d'origine chinoise qui ont été victimes de harcelement ont rapporté leurs expériences aux autorités ou dans les médias sociaux;leur propre perception d'etre, aux yeux d'autrui, de perpétuels étrangers les a empechés de rapporter le harcelement. Les auteurs discutent des répercussions du signalement du harcelement sur l'acculturation, l'identité, les stratégies antiracistes et la responsabilisation personnelle.Alternate :Many Chinese Canadians (CCs) have experienced increased racism and xenophobia since the beginning of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study focused on how this rise of anti-Chinese discrimination, in addition to the threats posed by the pandemic itself, affects not only CCs' well-being, but also their Chinese and Canadian identities. We surveyed 874 CC adults from across Canada, Mage = 42.09;47.7% females;628 foreign-born, first-generation (G1) and 246 Canadian-born, second or later generation (G2). The reported rates of discriminatory experiences were alarming: More than half of the respondents reported that they had been treated with less respect because of their ethnicity (G1: 60.6%;G2: 56.8%), and over a third reported that they had been personally threatened or intimidated (G1: 35.2%;G2: 39.8%). Generational status moderated CCs' pandemic experiences, such that G1 CCs perceived more health, financial, and cultural threats due to the pandemic, but G2 CCs reported more personal and group discrimination. Perceived discrimination was associated with CCs' negative affect even after controlling for pandemic threats. The type of discrimination had different implications for heritage and mainstream cultural identities. For both groups, personal discrimination was negatively associated with Canadian identity, whereas group discrimination was positively associated with Chinese identity. Only about 10% of CCs who experienced harassment reported their encounters to authorities or on social media;CCs' perceptions that others saw them as perpetual foreigners undermined their reporting of harassment. The findings' implications for acculturation, identity, anti-racism strategies, and empowerment in reporting harassment are discussed.

COVID discrimination experience: Chinese Canadians' social identities moderate the effect of personal and group discrimination on well-being.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has amplified preexisting racism and xenophobia. In this study, we investigated (a) whether perceived personal and group discrimination make distinct contributions to Chinese Canadians' negative affect and concern that the heightened discrimination they experienced during the pandemic will continue after the pandemic; (b) whether Canadian and Chinese identities and social support moderate the effect of discrimination on this concern; and (c) whether race-based rejection sensitivity (RS) explains why each type of discrimination predicts negative affect and expectation of future discrimination. METHOD: A sample of Chinese Canadian adults across Canadian provinces (N = 516; Mage = 42.74, 53.3% females) completed a questionnaire assessing personal and group discrimination, Chinese and Canadian identity, a short form of race-based RS, negative affect, and expectation of future discrimination. RESULTS: Personal and group discrimination were intercorrelated and positively associated with negative emotion and expectation of future discrimination. Chinese Canadians who identified more strongly as Chinese experienced a less adverse impact related to group discrimination. However, those who identified more (vs. less) strongly as Canadians were more likely to be impacted by personal discrimination. Finally, path analysis revealed that both personal and group discrimination were positively associated with RS, which in turn predicted an expectation that long-lasting racism would continue after the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Group and personal discrimination play different roles in Chinese Canadians' experiences during and expectations after the pandemic. Maintaining Chinese identity can be beneficial to Chinese Canadians, particularly in mitigating the negative effect of group discrimination during the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Rethinking how health care professionals cope with stress: A process model for COVID-19 and beyond.

ISSUE: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was evidence of challenges surrounding the psychological well-being of health care professionals (HCPs). HCPs already frayed psychological ability to cope risks being further compromised by COVID-19-related stresses. CRITICAL THEORETICAL ANALYSIS: Most research on stress, psychological distress, and coping among HCPs is done in a piecemeal manner without a theoretical model connecting these different but related phenomena. This critical advancement article aims to apply and extend Wheaton and Montazer's model of stressors, stress, and distress to the literature on HCPs, generally, and COVID-19, specifically, to summarize past and guide future research on HCPs' mental health, resilience, and coping. Our model describes how different sources of support buffer the effect of stressors on stress and how coping strategies moderate the effect of stress on psychological distress. ADVANCE: We extended the model by (a) distinguishing context from the support in HCPs' environment; (b) distinguishing adaptive from maladaptive coping strategies and their relationships with antecedents and outcomes; (c) describing the adverse impacts that psychological distress has on patients, HCPs, and health services; and (d) describing how such outcomes can become stressors, in turn, further contributing to HCPs' stress in a vicious cycle. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our model provides a broader perspective of HCPs' work-related mental health and helps guide the creation, implementation, and evaluation of different sources of support and promote adaptive coping strategies. This model helps HCPs, researchers, and health services managers better understand and respond to the well-being crisis HCPs are facing, especially during the pandemic.

Ethnic minority, immigrants, and Indigenous people's well-being disparities in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of threat perceptions.

The COVID-19 pandemic's differential impact on ethnic minorities, immigrants, and Indigenous people (e.g., mortality and infection rate, as well as psychological well-being) may exacerbate existing disparities. This study examined perceived threat as a psychological mechanism to explain the apparently more negative emotional experiences of ethnic minority Canadians during the pandemic compared with non-immigrant European Canadians (i.e., the majority/mainstream ethno-cultural group). We investigated group differences in negative affect and three possible threat mechanisms (perceived health, material, and cultural threat) for these differences using an online survey completed by a self-selected Canadian sample (N = 1,918). The results suggest that compared to the non-immigrant European Canadian group, ethnic minority members, immigrants, and Indigenous people have on average perceived higher levels of pandemic threat, which in turn is associated with negative affect. These findings support the hypothesis that the amount of threat perceived by different groups during the pandemic might partially explain reported group differences in well-being.

"Responsible" or "Strange?" Differences in Face Mask Attitudes and Use Between Chinese and Non-East Asian Canadians During COVID-19's First Wave.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists and scholars noted differences between Asians and North Americans in their support for public mask use. These differences were primarily assumed to be due d to variations in ethnocultural norms and practices. To better ascertain people's motives for wearing masks and potential cultural differences in these rationales, this comparative, mixed-methods research examines Chinese and non-East Asian Canadians' mask use attitudes utilizing online group interviews (Study 1) and a nation-wide survey (Study 2) Study 1, conducted in the early stages of the pandemic, captured an ambivalent, yet evolving attitude toward public mask use among the non-East Asian Canadians, which differed from their Chinese counterparts who more uniformly perceived mask use favorably. Study 2, conducted 2 months later, suggests that both groups primarily wore masks for disease protection- and prevention-related reasons. However, age and education appeared to influence the mask wearing frequency of the non-East Asian Canadians, for whom public mask use was less prevalent and normative. The attitudinal differences in public mask use call for targeted strategies to support mask wearing for different ethnocultural groups, which may be achieved partially through enhancing interethnic understanding on the diversified use of and opinions about masks. The findings suggest that favorable social norms, along with evidence-based information campaigns involving personal appeals may encourage greater mask use by the non-East Asian population.

Nurses' and Physicians' Distress, Burnout, and Coping Strategies During COVID-19: Stress and Impact on Perceived Performance and Intentions to Quit.

INTRODUCTION: Health care providers (HCPs) have experienced more stress and burnout during COVID-19 than before. We compared sources and levels of stress, distress, and approaches to coping between nurses and physicians, and examined whether coping strategies helped mitigate the negative impact of stress and intentions to quit. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Psychological distress was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. A self-reported survey was used to evaluate stressors, impact on perceived performance, and intentions to quit. The data were analyzed using t-tests and linear regression models. RESULTS: Responses of 119 HCPs were analyzed. Findings suggest that (1) compared to physicians, nurses experienced a higher level of distress and burnout, and used more maladaptive coping strategies. (2) Both nurses and physicians experienced more distress and burnout during COVID-19 than before. (3) Adaptive coping strategies moderated the negative impact of stress on work performance (4) Adaptive coping strategies moderated the negative effect of stress on burnout, which in turn reduced intentions to quit. Stress negatively impacted work performance and burnout only for those with low, but not high, levels of adaptive coping strategies. DISCUSSION: The current findings of HCPs' challenges, risks, and protective factors provide valuable information (1) on COVID-19's impact on HCPs, (2) to guide the distribution of institutional supportive efforts and recommend adaptive coping strategies, and (3) to inform medical education, such as resilience training, focusing on adaptive coping approaches.

Evaluations of Healthcare Providers' Perceived Support From Personal, Hospital, and System Resources: Implications for Well-Being and Management in Healthcare in Montreal, Quebec, During COVID-19.

Increased stressful experiences are pervasive among healthcare providers (HCPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying resources that help mitigate stress is critical to maintaining HCPs' well-being. However, to our knowledge, no instrument has systematically examined how different levels of resources help HCPs cope with stress during COVID-19. This cross-sectional study involved 119 HCPs (64 nurses and 55 physicians) and evaluated the perceived availability, utilization, and helpfulness of a list of personal, hospital, and healthcare system resources. Participants also reported on their level of burnout, psychological distress, and intentions to quit. Results revealed that HCPs perceived the most useful personal resource to be family support; the most useful hospital resources were a safe environment, personal protective equipment, and support from colleagues; the most useful system resources were job protection, and clear communication and information about COVID. Moreover, HCPs who perceived having more available hospital resources also reported lower levels of psychological distress symptoms, burnout, and intentions to quit. Finally, although training and counseling services were perceived as useful to reduce stress, training was not perceived as widely available, and counseling services, though reported as being available, were underutilized. This instrument helps identify resources that support HCPs, providing implications for healthcare management.

Public Health Messages About Face Masks Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perceptions of and Impacts on Canadians.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians faced much ambiguity in the public health messages around face mask use. As public health messaging plays a pivotal role in the provision of directives during a health crisis, this study examines Canadians' opinions on the early messaging they received regarding personal protection, especially around mask use, with the goal of identifying potential improvements to strengthen future health messaging. Nine online focus group interviews with 47 Canadians were conducted. These natural conversations focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) choices, mask-relevant public health information sources, and advice to Canadian authorities to improve public health messaging on mask use. Responses were imported into NVivo for thematic analysis. Four meta-themes of relevance were identified. Despite demonstrating trust in scientific evidence and public health authorities, the inconsistencies in public health messaging fostered confusion, and induced mistrust toward health professionals. Further, several information deficits were identified pertaining to the scientific efficacy, safe use, and disposal of masks. Rooted in loyalty to healthcare workers, these Canadians eschewed using medical grade masks during PPE shortages to ensure a sufficient supply for medical workers. The findings stress that consistency in public health messages should be prioritized, with necessary changes clearly justified and explained. More information should reach the public on the scientific benefits and proper use of masks. Public health recommendations should be evidence-based, simple, transparent, and realistic in the current circumstances to guide Canadians to make more informed personal protection choices in the rapidly evolving pandemic.