Nearly 3 in 5 U.S. Asian Adults Say Reports of Racism, Violence Have Affected Their Mental Health
“Gender and identity 100 percent come into play, especially in being able to talk about issues,” Zhang said.
So does the internet. Among Asian adults who have witnessed negative online behavior, including doxing, harassment, threats, stalking and humiliation, 90 percent said they think it was because of the person’s race or ethnicity, and 73 percent said they’ve seen more of this behavior during the pandemic.
The poll also suggests other groups recognize the challenges facing Asian American communities: 68 percent of adults overall said Asians have faced increased discrimination in the United States over the past year, including 64 percent of white adults. And 32 percent of adults overall said reports of anti-Asian racism and violence have affected their mental health.
But, Saw noted, increased awareness of the issue does little to fix it. She said it’s likely that the mental distress of the past year will continue in the months and years ahead, exacerbating the shortage of accessible mental health care for Asians in the United States. Language barriers and a lack of awareness about Asian cultures and historic discrimination are also shortcomings.
“The limitations of our health care infrastructure being able to accommodate the needs of Asian Americans is not new, particularly around mental health care and finding culturally appropriate care,” Saw said. “It’s not an easy fix.”
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