Andrew Subica, UC Riverside
Ninez Ponce, UCLA

The purpose of this project is to illuminate the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on California’s Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) population and to disseminate data findings to NHPI community members to respond. NHPIs were and still are the racial group in California (CA) with the highest COVID-19 case and death rates compared to any other racial or ethnic group in the state, including American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic, and White populations. Unfortunately, data on the short- and long-term mental health impacts of the heavy toll of COVID-19 on NHPI communities are lacking. Data for NHPIs in population-based samples are often left out or aggregated in larger “Asian/Pacific Islander” or “Other Race” categories, masking NHPI disparities and limiting community capacity to respond appropriately.

This project fills a needed data gap by unveiling the mental health impact of COVID-19 on the NHPI population in CA and making that data available to NHPI community members via community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods. CBPR requires close collaboration between community and academic partners. Our multidisciplinary team consists of NHPI community members and academic researchers affiliated with UCI, UCR, and UCLA who have been collaborating to address NHPI health disparities for the past 3 years.

• Our first aim is to conduct a survey of mental health, stress, anti-NHPI hate/discrimination, and mental healthcare access among NHPI adults in CA.
• Our second aim is to disseminate data to NHPI community stakeholders through research papers, an online data dashboard, a mental health report/factsheet, and a public-facing webinar.

By collecting and disseminating data on NHPI mental health in partnership with NHPI community-based organizations, we aim to inform future policies and interventions that will be culturally responsive to the mental health needs of NHPI communities. 

Collaborators:

• UC Riverside
• UCLA Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Data Policy Lab

Brittany Morey has received CPR³ funding for another project focused on social and economic outcomes among NHPI communities, entitled California Pacific Islander Socioeconomic Assessment (CAPISEA). Click here to learn more about CAPISEA.

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