Topic: I’m researching the impact the Covid-19 Pandemic had on increased cases of depression in ethnic minorities living in the united states. [Great! This is a very focused topic with a clear audience in mind]
Why I picked this topic: I chose this topic since its a big issue we are currently living through. The pandemic has impacted millions of working class people, of those people many are minorities. I would like to research exactly how these minorities are being impacted mentally.
Research Question: How has the pandemic impacted cases of depression in ethnic minorities in the united states?
- How does a person become depressed? What environment do they have to be in? [This might be a little too big because there are so many contributing factors. But, you might be able to pin-point a few that directly relate to the group of people you are writing about/for]
- How does ethnicity affect mental health?
- Relations between minorities and their social class.
- How did the pandemic affect the working class?
Reference Entry #1
Berman, R. (2020, September 19). US cases of depression have tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/us-cases-of-depression-have-tripled-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
Interesting Quotes and Paraphrases of Key Points
- According to R. Berman (2020), “…individuals with less than $5,000 in savings were 50% more likely to be experiencing symptoms of depression than those who had more.”
Reason for Selecting this Quote: The quote helps emphasize the idea that those with lower incomes and fewer economic resources, most notably seen in minorities, have been affected by the pandemic.
I want to paraphrase the following paragraph because it highlights how economic and social status play a role in the impact of a persons mental health.
The CLIMB survey also questioned participants regarding the various stressors associated with the pandemic. These stressors included the death of a friend or loved one and financial worries, such as the loss, or potential loss, of personal income. The survey found that symptoms of depression had risen in response to the pandemic across all demographic groups. According to the survey participants, the predominant driver of depression was concern regarding personal financial well-being. Lead study author Catherine Ettman says, “Persons who were already at risk before COVID-19, with fewer social and economic resources, were more likely to report probable depression.”
Paraphrase of this Quote: In the CLIMB survey questions related to possible causes of stress during the pandemic where asked. The most notable group that had seen an increase in depression were those with financial issues. According to Catherine Ettman, those with fewer economic resources had a higher probability of reporting depression.
Summary of Main Ideas
The article written by Berman focuses on the cases of depression increasing in the United States after the pandemic. More importantly, it talks about those struggling with their finances and how that becomes a huge struggle that could possibly lead to a toll on a persons mental health. They use information from a survey that shows a difference of 8.5% of adults reporting depression, while after covid the number of reports increased to 27.8% Not having savings was also addressed in the article and the author stated that those with low amounts of saving ($5,000) would be very likely to experience depression or symptoms associated with depression.
Response/Analysis
This article highlights how financial issues play a huge role in mental health. While this article doesn’t entirely focus on ethnic minorities, it can still be tied with minority groups. Most minorities struggle with finances and are part of the working class. [If you could find some data to support this claim, you’d be able to connect it to the information in this article] Knowing that their were many jobs lost during the pandemic, you can see how many people became stressed. Leading to the possibility of depression. This will be tied into research of ethnic minorities and their social class, along with what financial issues they face that could lead them to stress.
Reference Entry #2
Rura, N. (2020, September 30). Poll: 61% of U.S. households with children report facing serious financial problems during the coronavirus outbreak. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/poll-61-of-u-s-households-with-children-report-facing-serious-financial-problems-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/
Interesting Quotes and Paraphrases of Key Points
- “…59% of households with children in the U.S. report experiencing serious problems during this time… among working households, nearly one in five (18%) reporting serious problems getting childcare when adults need to work.”
Reason for Selecting this Quote: Based on the survey conducted it brings to light the issue of how low income families rely on assistance during these times in order to earn money for them to live off of.
I want to paraphrase the following paragraph because it focuses on exactly how minorities have been financially affected by the pandemic.
Boston, MA – According to a new NPR/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll, 61% of U.S. households with children report facing serious financial problems during the coronavirus outbreak. Serious problems are reported across a wide range of areas during this time, including depleting household savings, serious problems paying credit card bills and other debt, and affording medical care (see Table 1). Many of these problems are concentrated among Black and Latino households with children, households with children that have annual incomes below $100,000, and households with children that have experienced job or wage losses since the start of the outbreak. Serious financial problems are reported by large majorities of Latino (86%) and Black (66%) households with children, as well as about half (51%) of white households with children. In addition, about three in four (74%) households with children that have annual incomes below $100,000 report facing serious financial problems during the coronavirus outbreak.
Paraphrase of this Quote: The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll found that around 61% of U.S. households with children faced financial issues during the pandemic. These include financial savings diminishing, debts, and medical care issues. Most of these issues come from minority households. 86% of Latino and 66% of Black households stated they had major financial issues.
Summary of Main Ideas
In this survey we take a look at exactly how how serious the pandemic hit minority homes, specifically those of the working class. The survey found that a large percentage of minority households with children faced financial issues and struggled with a balance between taking care of their children and keeping them educated through online remote learning. [This looks like a solid source for your project, but the summary you’ve written is a little thin. Could you provide more details about the researcher’s methods in this work?]
Response/Analysis
Ethnic minorities were highlighted in the survey which helps me use for my topic. Similar to to the first entry it talks about how financial struggles in minority households cause a lot of problems. This survey targets issues found for those with children. As a working class adult during the pandemic, you have to struggle with figuring out how you’ll get enough money for food, rent, bills etc. Having to worry about a child getting the proper education or taking care of them is another problem that piles up and leads to stress and worry.
You are off to a really good start so far. You have a solid topic and these two sources will definitely help you construct an argument for the essay.
