Study reveals that mental health gaps in Los Angeles County worsened amid COVID-19 pandemic

Study reveals widening mental health disparities in L.A. County during COVID, impacting non-white residents more severely.

Disparities in mental health between white and non-white residents in Los Angeles County worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The risk for major depression among adults was measured using surveys conducted in 2018 and 2021, with data showing that non-white residents were more likely to face depression risk in harder-hit areas compared to white residents.
The study found that the death rate due to COVID-19 was more than twice as high among non-white residents in L.A. County compared to white residents.
The Latino paradox, where Latinos historically had higher life expectancy and lower mortality rates, seemed to have been temporarily erased by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study suggests a need to invest in efforts to address social and economic conditions that impact mental health outcomes, especially in lower-income, Black, and Latino communities, to mitigate the long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health.

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