Psychosocial and Mental Health Challenges and Coping Strategies Among Asian Americans and Immigrants in New Mexico in Response to Pandemic-Driven Racism

Asian Americans and immigrants (AAIs) faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic due to anti-Asian racist acts fueled by COVID19 rhetoric and the resulting racial trauma. This study explored AAIs' perceptions of these anti-Asian acts and their impact on psychosocial and mental health in the state of New Mexico (NM). Meyer's Minority Stress Theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Sixty AAIs were conveniently recruited through various social networks in NM. Semi-structured interviews were conducted remotely, primarily in English. All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to identify codes, categories, and patterns across the transcripts. Most participants viewed anti-Asian racism as an inseparable part of their lives, describing direct or vicarious experiences of racism as surreal and emotionally torturous. Many reported feelings trapped in a "rabbit hole," alienated from mainstream society, and on the verge of emotional eruption. AAIs employed both unhealthy and healthy coping strategies for survival. The findings highlight the profound, life-altering distress-defined as suffering that disrupts the ability to cope with daily life-experienced by NM AAIs, underscoring the urgent need for long-lasting, tailored resilience programs (e.g. culture-specific counseling) to support their psychosocial and emotional well-being and foster a renewed sense of community-belonging.