HHP-12 The Role of Social Media and Anti-Asian Discrimination in Asian Students’ Mental Health Amid Covid-19
Abstract
As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads, discrimination, violence and “othering” against people of Chinese and Asian origins have been reported around United States and the world. According to a survey of 1,904 Chinese residents across 70 countries, a fourth of the respondents experienced different forms of discrimination and reported being the targets of racism attacks (He et al., 2020). Another survey showed that more than 40% of Americans reported that they had engaged in at least one discriminatory behavior toward people of Asian descent (Dhanani & Franz, 2020).
As the world and the nation continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the deterioration in the mental states of young adults and college students have gained attention from mental health professionals. A 2021 CDC report revealed that 1 in 4 respondents aged 18 to 24 had considered suicide within the past month. More than half said they had one or more "adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms." Loneliness and isolation, disappointment and sadness, and stress and anxiety are among some reported concerns (CDC, 2021).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people rely on social media more than traditional media outlets to seek health information as it provides easy access to quick and up-to-date data and risk evaluation. This is especially true for young adults as social media has become their main source of news consumption (Pew Research Center, 2021). Even though health professionals and governments have made considerate effort to utilize social media platforms to disseminate correct health information and manage misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19, public fear, uncertainty and anxiety have continued to be reported.
In times of uncertainty, especially the early stage of the pandemic, keywords and hashtags referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese flu” or the “Wuhan virus” circulated on social media have fueled the spike in discriminatory behavior targeted at Asians across western countries. Studies have found the racism and xenophobia behaviors on social media exacerbated by the pandemic had a significant adverse impact on the mental health of Chinese and Asian population (Wang et al., 2021 & Ittefaq et al., 2022). It is critical to examine the effect of social media exposure on their mental health.
This project will use a mix-method approach, which involves an online survey and follow-up interviews. The respondents will be asked about their experiences related to Anti-Asian attitudes and behaviors during Covid-19, their social media usage, mental health states, policy suggestions and preferences.
Despite anecdotal evidence of a spike in discriminatory behavior targeted at Asians across United States and our local community, little empirical evidence for the impact of such phenomenon and their impact exists. The findings of the current project will provide insight of the linkage between the pandemic and anti-Asian attitudes and behaviors, as well as raise awareness of the effect of related information on social media on Asian college students’ mental health.
Keywords
Covid-19, Mental Health, Social Media, Media Effects
HHP-12 The Role of Social Media and Anti-Asian Discrimination in Asian Students’ Mental Health Amid Covid-19
University Readiness Center Greatroom
As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads, discrimination, violence and “othering” against people of Chinese and Asian origins have been reported around United States and the world. According to a survey of 1,904 Chinese residents across 70 countries, a fourth of the respondents experienced different forms of discrimination and reported being the targets of racism attacks (He et al., 2020). Another survey showed that more than 40% of Americans reported that they had engaged in at least one discriminatory behavior toward people of Asian descent (Dhanani & Franz, 2020).
As the world and the nation continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the deterioration in the mental states of young adults and college students have gained attention from mental health professionals. A 2021 CDC report revealed that 1 in 4 respondents aged 18 to 24 had considered suicide within the past month. More than half said they had one or more "adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms." Loneliness and isolation, disappointment and sadness, and stress and anxiety are among some reported concerns (CDC, 2021).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people rely on social media more than traditional media outlets to seek health information as it provides easy access to quick and up-to-date data and risk evaluation. This is especially true for young adults as social media has become their main source of news consumption (Pew Research Center, 2021). Even though health professionals and governments have made considerate effort to utilize social media platforms to disseminate correct health information and manage misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19, public fear, uncertainty and anxiety have continued to be reported.
In times of uncertainty, especially the early stage of the pandemic, keywords and hashtags referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese flu” or the “Wuhan virus” circulated on social media have fueled the spike in discriminatory behavior targeted at Asians across western countries. Studies have found the racism and xenophobia behaviors on social media exacerbated by the pandemic had a significant adverse impact on the mental health of Chinese and Asian population (Wang et al., 2021 & Ittefaq et al., 2022). It is critical to examine the effect of social media exposure on their mental health.
This project will use a mix-method approach, which involves an online survey and follow-up interviews. The respondents will be asked about their experiences related to Anti-Asian attitudes and behaviors during Covid-19, their social media usage, mental health states, policy suggestions and preferences.
Despite anecdotal evidence of a spike in discriminatory behavior targeted at Asians across United States and our local community, little empirical evidence for the impact of such phenomenon and their impact exists. The findings of the current project will provide insight of the linkage between the pandemic and anti-Asian attitudes and behaviors, as well as raise awareness of the effect of related information on social media on Asian college students’ mental health.