/ Health emergencies

COVID-19 and racialized communities: Impacts on mental health

• Sarah Sanford, Mauriene Tolentino and Brenda Roche
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, September 29, 2020: People wait in line for a Covid-19 test at the Birchmount Covid-19 Assessment Centre at 3030 Birchmount Road in Scarborough, Ontario.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant inequities in terms of health and social outcomes, and magnified stressors such as increased risk of exposure to and illness from COVID-19, job loss, and housing and food insecurity. These stressors have been particularly felt by already marginalized groups, including those from racialized communities, and there is evidence of accompanying negative mental health impacts. There is a need for increased understanding of how health systems and communities can prepare for the long-term mental health impacts of COVID-19.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada partnered with Wellesley Institute to study the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and well-being of racialized working-age adults living in the Greater Toronto Area. The qualitative research focused on experiences of people from racialized communities as well as representatives from community organizations, to explore the pressures people are facing, the mental health supports and services that they need, and ways to support resilience beyond the pandemic, using upstream approaches.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health and Well-being A Focus on Racialized Communities in the GTADownload
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Sarah Sanford

Sarah Sanford

Dr. Sarah Sanford (she/her) is a qualitative researcher with a background in critical social sciences, global health governance and public health. She has worked across numerous applied health research and policy settings over the past 15 years, and most of this work has centred lived expertise in developing solutions to promote health and health equity. She has recently cultivated her thinking about the economic determinants of health and is currently researching wealth inequality and health equity in Toronto. Sarah holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree from York University.

Mauriene Tolentino

Mauriene Tolentino

Mauriene Tolentino (they/them) is a researcher at the Wellesley Institute. Their work focuses on mental health, climate resilience and access to health, particularly as experienced by racialized, migrant, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Grounded in a public policy lens, Mauriene’s research aims to inform systems-level change that addresses structural barriers to health and well-being. Mauriene holds a Master of Public Health from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, with a specialization in Women and Gender Studies and Public Health Policy. Before joining Wellesley Institute, their work supported government and community-driven work to advance health equity through research, policy analyses, and programs centered on mental health, emergency preparedness and access to care.

Brenda Roche

Brenda Roche

Dr. Brenda Roche is Director of Research at the Wellesley Institute. She was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Anthropology and Health at the Gender, Violence and Health Centre of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She comes with academic and community-based research experience exploring social and health issues in urban settings, including homelessness, sexual health, violence and psychological trauma and distress. Her doctorate, through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined discourses on trauma that operate within the context of refugee resettlement, and how these influence health and social care practices for women (and their families) seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom.