Underlying Pressures that Black Mothers and Their Children Face: A Qualitative Assessment on the Effects of Racism/Discrimination and the COVID-19 Pandemic

BackgroundPoverty, racism, discrimination, inadequate access to healthcare, and personal, everyday stressors lead to poor health outcomes, especially in African American families in the south. There is limited data on how these stressors are absorbed between the mother and child dyad. ObjectiveTo assess the effects of racism, everyday stressors (i.e. motherhood), and the COVID pandemic on African American/Black mothers and their children. MethodsUtilizing the Health Belief Model, a survey was developed to assess mother-child stressors relating to three different constructs: racism/discrimination, pandemic/covid-19, and parenting. We interviewed seven black mothers and their children (aged 4-10yo). The families were recruited from a pediatric office in the rural city of Alexander City, Alabama. Interviews took place in an intimate setting and lasted for 1.5-2 hours. Medical students conducted, recorded, and transcribed each interview. The interview assessed the association between the COVID-19 pandemic, personal traumatic events, and racism and discrimination in their everyday lives. ResultsThrough qualitative analysis; racism, daily activities, and the COVID-19 pandemic were demonstrated to be significant stressors for the mothers. Knowledge, school/work, actions, emotions, and seriousness/susceptibility displayed stressors not only in the mom as one would expect, but in the children as well. Using the resilience model, we assessed adversity, coping strategies, and self-efficacy. As one might expect, each situation caused a different level of anxiety; however, the coping strategies varied. Some moms took to smoking to cope with it while others chose suppression. The childrens coping ranged from inconsolable crying and using outlets such as phones to cope. ConclusionUltimately, our qualitative approach saw an association between the pandemic and discrimination. Mothers often felt the need to shield children from the emotions attached to discrimination, and ultimately were unable to. There is a need to explore resilience and assess these stressors and changes in perception over time.