Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Correlates of Social and Emotional Support during the COVID-19 Pandemic among U.S. Adults

Abstract

Abstract Background Studies examining racial/ethnic differences in social and emotional support during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States are limited. We examined racial/ethnic differences in the lack of social and emotional support during the pandemic in a large nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2020 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) of all adults who reported having social and emotional support needs during the pandemic (n = 16,637). We grouped the extent of social and emotional support received into three categories: always/usually, sometimes, and rarely/never. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine racial/ethnic differences in the lack of social and emotional support among adults 18 years and older.Results Approximately 8% of Non-Hispanic Whites, 12% of Non-Hispanic Blacks, 17% of Hispanics, and 17% of Non-Hispanic Asians reported that they rarely/never received social and emotional support during the pandemic. After controlling for several potentially confounding factors, Non-Hispanic Asians [adjusted odds ratio aOR: 2.93; 95% confidence interval CI: 2.27–3.77] and Non-Hispanic Blacks [aOR: 1.46; 95% (CI) 1.14–1.87] were significantly more likely than Non-Hispanic Whites to report rarely/never vs. always/usually receiving social and emotional support during the period under study.Conclusion Improving awareness of social and emotional support by including measures of social isolation and loneliness in national health surveys is needed. Addressing social and emotional barriers nationally needs to be a coordinated effort from the public, research community, and policymakers with the objective of advancing health equity.