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FEATURE
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Black American Mental and Emotional Health
DALEVYON KNIGHT, Harvard College '27
THURJ Volume 14 | Issue 2
An overview of COVID-19 and its Consequences
The COVID-19 pandemic is commonly regarded as one of the most catastrophic disasters of the 21st century, as it resulted in the death of millions worldwide and brought the globe to a halt. The “lockdown” era that followed the first wave of COVID-19 infections came with detrimental consequences on several aspects of society including our food systems, our health, and our livelihoods. Even today, while approximately 1,500 people continue to die from COVID-19 each week, leaving many families without their loved ones, people across the United States struggle with the social and personal ramifications of the pandemic (Symptoms of New COVID Variant JN.1, Latest Studies on Paxlovid Rebound and Hydroxychloroquine, 2024).
Although children and middle-aged adults often have the lowest mortality rates for COVID-19, they are still affected by the disease. One of the earliest effects of the pandemic was the period of quarantine, or a period of self-isolation, required to contain the disease after exposure or infection. These periods of self-isolation caused child, teen, and adult mental health to decline. For example, many students throughout the world experienced sudden changes to their social lives and daily routines, such as the inability to access education, food insecurity, and potentially unsafe home environments (Mental Health & COVID-19: What Parents and Caregivers Should Know, n.d.). Similarly, four in ten adults reported symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression by 2021, a two-fold increase from 2019 (Panchal & Saunders, 2023). In addition, reports of substance abuse have increased dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic—largely constituted by fentanyl abuse— as have suicide rates (Panchal & Saunders, 2023). Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted civilian life and changed the world as we know it, leaving lasting impacts on mental health and wellbeing.
Deficiencies in Scientific Research Advocacy
While COVID-19 has affected all communities, the virus has had a widespread impact on communities of color, specifically Black American communities. Black Americans have always faced systemic barriers to quality healthcare in the United States, and COVID-19 only worsened these hindrances. For example, many Black Americans were not able to afford or access quality healthcare during the pandemic, and—as a result—Black Americans had the highest mortality rates among all racial groups in 2020, with 97.9 deaths per 100,000 people (Fig. 1) (Vasquez Reyes, 2020). This high death rate reveals that the systemic barriers to healthcare greatly disadvantaged Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous Black Americans are often uninsured or underinsured, leaving many unable to afford the quality healthcare they need. According to a brief by The Office of Health Policy, the uninsured rate for Black Americans is 12% compared to White Americans at 9% (ASPE, 2022). The disproportionate rate of uninsurance between Black Americans and White Americans had detrimental effects in a pandemic context. For those individuals who had moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, going to a hospital and obtaining treatment was a barrier few chose or were able to endure, and the prevalent lack of insurance within the Black American community, therefore, drastically affected their physical health, leading to an even bigger impact on their mental and emotional health.
Not only did healthcare barriers exacerbate the COVID-19 pandemic for Black Americans, but economic and societal pressures played a role as well. A significant number of Black Americans worked in essential businesses during the pandemic, making it difficult for them to adhere to stay-at-home orders and thereby increasing their risk of contracting COVID-19. According to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2020, only 31% of Black Americans had jobs that required telework compared to 41% and 51% for White Americans and Asian Americans, respectively (Asfaw, 2022). The sacrifices Black Americans had to make in order to provide for their loved ones throughout the pandemic meant that their health was in an extremely compromised position. This daily battle between the danger of the workplace and the needs of the home led to major internal struggles in Black American communities during the pandemic.
Black Americans’ living situations also provided a barrier to healthcare. Black Americans are more likely to live in close proximity to one another, which often leads to a lack of social distancing and a higher risk of COVID-19 contraction. Furthermore, these areas typically lacked the social and infrastructural stability that other predominantly White suburbs tended to have, including locations to receive medical care (Norwood, 2021). Moreover, these areas tended to be ignored by lawmakers on a local and national scale, and the residents of these areas suffered physically and mentally. Beyond these ghettos, however, Black Americans' lives and demands continued to be ignored. Black Americans were and continue to be more likely to be found in the prison system where the disease could spread rapidly. Black Americans were incarcerated in state prisons at nearly 5 times the rate of White Americans in 2020, and thus, a direct correlation was established between Black American incarceration rate and COVID-19 contraction rate (Nellis, 2021).

Fig. 1. COVID-19 mortality rates by race in 2020 (Adapted from APM Research Lab, September 10, 2020)
Link Between COVID-19 and Black American Mental and Emotional Health
There is an inextricable link between the COVID-19 pandemic and Black American mental and emotional health that is further complicated by external stressors, trauma, and even cultural stigmas. Like many other demographic groups, the fear of potentially losing loved ones took a significant toll on Black Americans. As Black Americans were already disadvantaged through systemic healthcare barriers, for many families, this fear became a reality. Nationwide, Black Americans died at 1.4 times the rate of White Americans, a staggering inequity that caused many Black Americans to experience difficulty adjusting to normal life post-pandemic. In addition, the unresolved trauma that Black Americans faced due to the pandemic often affected their career and relationships with others, with psychology researchers Maarten Eisma, Paul Boelen, and Lonneke Lenferik refering to this trauma as prolonged grief disorder (PGD). There were higher rates of PGD in Black populations during the pandemic, as characterized by a distressing yearning for deceased loved ones that lasts over 6 months (Eisma et al., 2020). This prolonged grief caused Black Americans to mourn their loved ones rather than focus on other important aspects of their livelihood.
Subtly, pre-existing cultural stigmas also impacted Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fear of judgment and criticism by others led and continues to lead many Black Americans to believe that they did not have a mental health problem post-pandemic. Thus, Black Americans were less likely than others to obtain mental health counseling from a licensed professional, worsening their readjustment to everyday life. Data released by the American Psychiatric Association revealed that while Black Americans are just as likely as the general population to have a mental illness, only a third will receive mental health care (Leary, n.d.). There are a variety of factors that contribute to this statistic. Historically, Black Americans have been misdiagnosed with mental and physical disorders at a higher rate than other races and have been exploited by the United States government and medical community in the name of “advancement.” One such example is the 1932–1972 Tuskegee Syphilis Study where hundreds of Black men were brutally mistreated and denied treatment for the sake of supposed medical advancement (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Black Americans’ overall lack of trust in medical professionals is therefore known as the “Tuskegee Effect,” and provides a great hindrance to Black American mental and emotional healthcare today. In fact, this distrust extended beyond the healthcare sphere. The numerous killings of Black Americans such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of White police officers and vigilantes led to intense protests and general distrust of police officers, only heightening Black American stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The link between systemic barriers, external stressors, and Black American mental and emotional health led to a disastrous outcome for the Black American community, the effects of which are still evident now.
How Can We Increase Advocacy?

Fig. 2. National Average Fourth Grade Math Scores Across Demographics
Another aspect of COVID-19 affecting Black American mental and emotional health is reflected in educational hindrances or obstacles to education. Online platforms such as Zoom deprived children and teens of face-to-face social interaction and in-person teaching. With Black American students already disadvantaged through the public school system, the pandemic only exacerbated these issues. In 2023, the average composite ACT score for all students across the United States was 19.5 out of 36, but the score was 16 out of 36 for Black students—the lowest score since 2019 (Foster, 2023). While this statistic alone cannot be directly attributed to the pandemic, it does raise questions about post-pandemic learning and the efficacy of the transition from a previously online school experience to an in-person learning experience. Elementary school students also reflect this point. The U.S. Department of Education found that Black American scores dropped a considerable eight points from 2019 to 2022 compared to a four-point drop by White fourth-grade students (Fig. 2). While this data does support the fact that the pandemic prevented students from all racial backgrounds from learning effectively, the data shows the relatively drastic effects of online learning on Black students. The Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, Catherine E. Lhamon stated that the new data about the impacts of COVID-19 in schools reflects the “troubling differences” experienced by Black American (Siid, 2023). Among the top of these differences were racial harassment, disproportionate discipline rates for Black American boys, and lack of access to educators and technology. These differences affected Black American children’s ability to perform, further leading to a feeling of inadequacy within the Black American student population (Siid, 2023).
Beyond test scores, online learning led to deprived social interaction within student populations. Heightened relationships over phone calls, video calls, and social media led to the redefinition of friendship and intimacy for many young students. Often, students felt as if they were compelled to socialize online in order to maintain their social status within their friendship circles. Over time, however, increased time on social media and complete reliance on these virtual friendships led to a high risk of depression in adolescents (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2024). The anonymity aspect of social media also posed a challenge. Many students of all demographics were subjected to intense cyberbullying and harassment that they might not have encountered in an in-person environment. According to the American Adolescent Psychiatric Association, stress and mental health conditions may be exacerbated by cyberbullying, particularly among those who have experienced emotional abuse (Cyberbullying during COVID-19, n.d.). Thus, during the pandemic, the impact of cyberbullying and harassment was paramount. Early research in 2020 suggested that students who spent more than three hours on their devices were 55% more likely to be victims of bullying (Rech et al., 2013). As a result, many Black American students still have not recovered, and their academics, mental health, emotional health, and even physical health are still at a low today.
What Now?
Black American mental health should not be ignored or forgotten in the context of the long-term effect of COVID-19 on our world. The systemic barriers and the medical data have revealed that there is a cultural cycle that needs to be broken in order for mental health progress to be made for Black Americans. Medical professionals and researchers are just now starting to recognize the effect of COVID-19 on Black American mental health, but this recognition is only the start. While tips from these professions to promote wellbeing—such as integrating prayer and meditation into daily life—can help Black Americans temporarily improve their mental health, they continuously have to face a world filled with barriers that seek to hinder their progress. Only time will tell how further research on this issue and strong attempts to close the mental health gap will fare in a post-COVID world as it becomes more necessary than ever to tackle Black American mental health.
References
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