A – 70 Unseen Burdens: Ethnoracial Disparities in Subjective Cognitive Complaints and Psychiatric Outcomes After COVID-19

Abstract Objective Despite disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 amongst people of the global majority (PGM), there is limited research on ethnoracial disparities in neuropsychological and psychiatric outcomes following COVID-19. This study aimed to define contributing factors of the subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) that may be reported following COVID-19. The effects of executive functioning (EF) and processing speed (PS), and their known correlates of fatigue, anxiety, depression, and stress (FADS), were assessed with attention to ethnoracial disparities. Method Participants included 97 individuals with a history of COVID-19 (45 PGM, 52 non-PGM) and 94 without a history of COVID-19 (47 PGM, 47 non-PGM). Measures included the D-KEFS Color Word Interference Test, WAIS-IV Digit Span, Oral Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test—64 Card Version, Everyday Cognition Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Outcomes were assessed with 2x2 ANOVAs. Results Group differences between those with versus without COVID-19 were not detected in EF performance, but higher FADS (p≤.001), more SCC (p≤.001), and paradoxically, faster PS (p<.01) resulted following COVID-19. Significant COVID-19 x PGM-affiliation interactions were found for FADS (p<.01) and SCC (p<.05) but not EF or PS. PGM, but not non-PGM, displayed disproportionately higher FADS and SCC only if they previously had COVID-19. Conclusion PGM individuals may experience greater FADS and SCC following COVID-19 than non-PGM individuals. Findings highlight the need for culturally informed post-COVID care and draw attention to ethnoracial disparities in neurocognitive and psychiatric assessment.