Coping With COVID-19: The Impact of the Pandemic on Latina Immigrant Women's Mental Health and Well-being.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We sought to describe how Latina immigrants living in King County coped with the pandemic, including their attitudes and behaviors related to COVID-19, and the impact of the pandemic on their mental health and wellbeing. METHOD: We conducted surveys by phone with adult Spanish-speaking Latina immigrants (n = 137) in the summer of 2020. RESULTS: Very few women had been infected with COVID-19, and 23% reported having been tested. Most frequent reasons for not being tested were not knowing where to go (14%), concerns over the cost (15%), and not wanting to know if they were infected (12%). Most participants had concerns about paying for housing (76%) and food (73%). Depression and anxiety symptoms were in the moderate range. Almost all participants were practicing recommended preventive behaviors. CONCLUSION: Although few participants had COVID-19 infection, the pandemic had significant impacts on their mental health and ability to meet basic needs.