"The coronavirus pandemic continues to pose a major threat to the world. But rather than acting as a great equaliser, Covid-19 has exposed and amplified existing inequalities in our society. Young Black men are one such group who have faced historic and appalling injustices. Many of the challenges they face have a devastating impact on their mental health and wellbeing..."
When I read that first paragraph in the Summary to the Report on "Young Black Men's Mental Health During Covid-19" I was interested.
But when the report confirmed that the term "young Black men" included young men of Black Caribbean descent, I knew it was something to share with this group.
Please note that the report is based on research conducted in the UK. It has been shared with you as an attachment to this post. I hope you make time to read it and glean from its findings.
Two key findings are:
1. Research suggests that men from racialised backgrounds are reporting higher levels of mental distress during the pandemic compared to white men (Proto et al., 2021). Contributing factors include bereavement, loneliness and worries about coronavirus and misinformation.
2. Young Black men aged 16-25 are amongst the hardest hit by job losses and more likely to report a fall in income because of lockdown.
Key recommendations related to Mental Health include:
1. The youth mental health services workforce should reflect the communities they serve and ensure values of anti-racism, diversity and inclusion are promoted. This includes the wider children and young people’s workforce, such as education, children’s services, public health, criminal justice and the voluntary and community sector.
2. Mental health services should create community healing spaces for young Black men to enable them to process the challenges they face as a result of the pandemic. These spaces could be facilitated online and offline.
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