The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters
Background People from ethnic minority groups are more likely to be impacted by global disasters than White ethnic groups due to pre-existing vulnerabilities. A lack of trust in mainstream support services, which have often accounted poorly for the needs of those communities, contributes to furthe...
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Cambridge University Press
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425100495/type/journal_article |
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| author | Valentina Cardi Valentina Meregalli Chiara Tosi Laura Sudulich Juliana Onwumere |
| author_facet | Valentina Cardi Valentina Meregalli Chiara Tosi Laura Sudulich Juliana Onwumere |
| author_sort | Valentina Cardi |
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Background
People from ethnic minority groups are more likely to be impacted by global disasters than White ethnic groups due to pre-existing vulnerabilities. A lack of trust in mainstream support services, which have often accounted poorly for the needs of those communities, contributes to further discrimination and disadvantage.
Aims
This study was conducted in 2022, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, to survey the overall well-being and healthcare needs of UK families with a Black ethnic background.
Method
A total of 2124 parents completed an online survey that included measures of psychological well-being, children’s difficulties, family healthcare needs and perception of support both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
Seventy per cent of parents reported high levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and over half identified high emotional and relational difficulties in their children. Higher levels of distress in parents correlated with greater difficulties in children and poorer parent–child relationships. Community support was associated with greater parental well-being and fewer child difficulties. Parents sought support from formal support networks when health issues were perceived as more severe.
Conclusions
This study engaged a large sample of families from Black ethnic backgrounds, but recruitment may have been biased by sociodemographic characteristics. Levels of psychological distress were high, possibly due to pre-existing and enduring exposure to difficult life circumstances. Support from community networks was perceived as helpful, especially by those with milder levels of psychological distress. The strong association between parents’ and children’s well-being suggests that family-focused interventions could be beneficial, especially if culturally adapted.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-efc0d0d116a74724ac1bc8db2ed04678 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-efc0d0d116a74724ac1bc8db2ed046782025-08-20T03:28:02ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242025-07-011110.1192/bjo.2025.10049The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still mattersValentina Cardi0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7763-7099Valentina Meregalli1Chiara Tosi2Laura Sudulich3Juliana Onwumere4Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UKDepartment of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Italy Padova Neuroscience Centre, University of Padova, ItalyDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, ItalyDepartment of Government, University of Essex, UKDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK National Institute for Health Research, Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK Background People from ethnic minority groups are more likely to be impacted by global disasters than White ethnic groups due to pre-existing vulnerabilities. A lack of trust in mainstream support services, which have often accounted poorly for the needs of those communities, contributes to further discrimination and disadvantage. Aims This study was conducted in 2022, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, to survey the overall well-being and healthcare needs of UK families with a Black ethnic background. Method A total of 2124 parents completed an online survey that included measures of psychological well-being, children’s difficulties, family healthcare needs and perception of support both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Seventy per cent of parents reported high levels of stress, depression and anxiety, and over half identified high emotional and relational difficulties in their children. Higher levels of distress in parents correlated with greater difficulties in children and poorer parent–child relationships. Community support was associated with greater parental well-being and fewer child difficulties. Parents sought support from formal support networks when health issues were perceived as more severe. Conclusions This study engaged a large sample of families from Black ethnic backgrounds, but recruitment may have been biased by sociodemographic characteristics. Levels of psychological distress were high, possibly due to pre-existing and enduring exposure to difficult life circumstances. Support from community networks was perceived as helpful, especially by those with milder levels of psychological distress. The strong association between parents’ and children’s well-being suggests that family-focused interventions could be beneficial, especially if culturally adapted. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425100495/type/journal_articleParentsBlack ethnic backgroundburdenCOVID-19minorities |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Cardi Valentina Meregalli Chiara Tosi Laura Sudulich Juliana Onwumere The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters BJPsych Open Parents Black ethnic background burden COVID-19 minorities |
| title | The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters |
| title_full | The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters |
| title_fullStr | The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters |
| title_short | The impact of COVID-19 on parents from Black ethnic backgrounds in the UK: what we have learned and why it still matters |
| title_sort | impact of covid 19 on parents from black ethnic backgrounds in the uk what we have learned and why it still matters |
| topic | Parents Black ethnic background burden COVID-19 minorities |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425100495/type/journal_article |
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