Ethno-Racial Disparities in COVID-Related Stress and Mental Health Problems: Bridging Fundamental Cause Theory and the Stress Process Model

Bridging the stress process model and fundamental cause theory (FCT), this study investigated the application of a novel multi-domain stress measure in explaining ethno-racial mental health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from an online survey (N = 2308), we tested whether disproportionate exposure to COVID-related discrimination or COVID-related stressful life events explained ethno-racial disparities in anxiety and depression symptoms. We observed that for Asian and other/multi-race respondents, discrimination elevated stress and mental health problems. Black respondents, on the other hand, fared better on mental health outcomes, partly because they experienced lower levels of existential insecurity. Our results demonstrate the utility of a multi-domain stress measure in illustrating the nuanced ways collective traumatic events shape mental health outcomes in ethno-racially diverse communities.