Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, Maryland.
Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, Maryland.
Am J Prev Med. 2023 Sep;65(3):439-447. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.03.013. Epub 2023 Mar 23.
The high visibility of COVID-19-related discrimination underscores the importance of understanding the psychological harms associated with vicariously and directly experiencing such incidents. In this observational study, both vicariously and directly experienced COVID-19-related discrimination and their association with heightened concerns about discrimination and vigilance were examined in U.S. adults who use commercial tobacco.
Data were from a nationally representative sample of adults who currently or formerly used commercial tobacco products (N=1,700; mean age=43 years) from an online survey panel administered in January-February 2021 (analyzed in 2021-2022). Participants reported vicariously and directly experienced COVID-19-related discrimination, concern about experiencing such discrimination, and heightened vigilance. Weighted multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the associations among these variables.
Overall, 69% of individuals reported exposure to vicarious COVID-19-related discrimination, and 22% reported directly experiencing COVID-19-related discrimination. Asian, Hispanic, and Black individuals reported higher levels of concern and vigilance than White individuals (p<0.05). Vicariously and directly experienced COVID-19-related discrimination was independently associated with concern about experiencing COVID-19-related discrimination in the entire sample and within each racial and ethnic group (p<0.05). This concern was associated with increased vigilance (p<0.05) and was stronger in those exposed to vicarious COVID-19-related discrimination than in those who were not (p<0.05).
COVID-19-related discrimination may undermine the psychological well-being of those who are exposed to it vicariously as well as those who experience it directly and may also make individuals feel vulnerable and unsafe. Interventions to prevent and reduce the impact of COVID-19-related discrimination may have wide-reaching societal benefits.
与 COVID-19 相关的歧视事件频繁发生，突显了理解间接和直接经历此类事件所带来的心理伤害的重要性。在这项观察性研究中，我们研究了美国使用商业烟草的成年人中，间接和直接经历与 COVID-19 相关的歧视，以及这些经历与对歧视的担忧和警惕性增强之间的关系。
数据来自于一项于 2021 年 1 月至 2 月期间通过在线调查小组对目前或曾经使用商业烟草产品的成年人进行的全国代表性样本（N=1700；平均年龄 43 岁）。参与者报告了间接和直接经历与 COVID-19 相关的歧视、对经历此类歧视的担忧，以及对歧视的警惕性增强。使用加权多变量线性和逻辑回归模型来检验这些变量之间的关系。
总体而言，69%的人报告间接接触到与 COVID-19 相关的歧视，22%的人报告直接经历与 COVID-19 相关的歧视。与白人相比，亚洲人、西班牙裔和黑人报告的担忧和警惕性更高（p<0.05）。间接和直接经历与 COVID-19 相关的歧视与整个样本和每个种族和族裔群体中对经历与 COVID-19 相关的歧视的担忧独立相关（p<0.05）。这种担忧与警惕性增加有关（p<0.05），而且在间接接触到与 COVID-19 相关的歧视的人中比在没有接触到的人中更强（p<0.05）。
与 COVID-19 相关的歧视可能会破坏那些间接接触到它的人的心理健康，也可能会破坏那些直接经历到它的人的心理健康，并且还可能使个人感到脆弱和不安全。预防和减少与 COVID-19 相关的歧视的干预措施可能会带来广泛的社会效益。
