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Social Vulnerability, COVID-19, Racial Violence, and Depressive Symptoms: a Cross-sectional Study in the Southern United States

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Abstract

Background

In March 2020, the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic. In May 2020, George Floyd was murdered, catalyzing a national racial reckoning. In the Southern United States, these events occurred in the context of a history of racism and high rates of poverty and discrimination, especially among racially and ethnically minoritized populations.

Objectives

In this study, we examine social vulnerabilities, the perceived impacts of COVID-19 and the national racial reckoning, and how these are associated with depression symptoms in the South.

Methods

Data were collected from 961 adults between June and November 2020 as part of an online survey study on family well-being during COVID-19. The sample was majority female (87.2%) and consisted of 661 White participants, 143 Black participants, and 157 other racial and ethnic minoritized participants. Existing social vulnerability, perceived impact of COVID-19 and racial violence and protests on families, and depressive symptoms were assessed. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to predict variance in depressive symptoms.

Results

Half of the sample (52%) reported a negative impact of COVID-19, and 66% reported a negative impact of national racial violence/protests. Depressive symptoms were common with 49.8% meeting the cutoff for significant depressive symptoms; Black participants had lower levels of depressive symptoms. Results from the hierarchical regression analysis indicate social vulnerabilities and the perceived negative impact of COVID-19 and racial violence/protests each contribute to variance in depressive symptoms. Race-specific sensitivity analysis clarified distinct patterns in predictors of depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

People in the South report being negatively impacted by the confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of racial violence/protests in 2020, though patterns differ by racial group. These events, on top of pre-existing social vulnerabilities, help explain depressive symptoms in the South during 2020.

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Data Availability

Data available upon request from authors.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Andrea Mendoza for assisting us in translating our survey, Veasey Conway for proofreading our manuscript, and the parents who contributed their time to share their experiences with us.

Funding

This work was supported by grant funding from Duke Global Health Institute and the Charles Lafitte Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Savannah Johnson, Justin D. Rasmussen, Ameya Sanyal, Emmy Duerr & Eve S. Puffer

  2. Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Savannah Johnson, Kaitlin N. Quick, Amber D. Rieder, Justin D. Rasmussen, Eric P. Green & Eve S. Puffer

  3. University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Kaitlin N. Quick

  4. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Gabriela A. Nagy

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  1. Savannah Johnson
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Contributions

SJ and KQ developed the research question, conducted the analyses, and drafted the manuscript. AR and JD contributed to the study conceptualization, study design, data collection, analysis, and review of the manuscript. AS contributed to the study design, data collection, analysis, and drafting of the manuscript. EG contributed to the study design and data analysis, ED contributed to the study design and data collection. GN contributed to the development of the research question, data analysis, and editing and review of the manuscript. EP led the overall study conceptualization and design and contributed to the analysis, drafting, and review of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Savannah Johnson.

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Approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board at Duke University, Protocol: 2020–0496.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Savannah Johnson and Kaitlin N. Quick shared first authorship.

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Johnson, S., Quick, K.N., Rieder, A.D. et al. Social Vulnerability, COVID-19, Racial Violence, and Depressive Symptoms: a Cross-sectional Study in the Southern United States. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01831-y

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