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. 2023 Jun:3:100218.
doi: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100218. Epub 2023 Jan 6.

The COVID-19, racism, and violence syndemic: Evidence from a qualitative study with Black residents of Chicago

Katherine G Quinn  1 , Melissa Harris  2 , Darielle Sherrod  3 , Bijou R Hunt  4 , Jacquelyn Jacobs  3 , Jesus Valencia  3 , Jennifer L Walsh  1
Affiliations

The COVID-19, racism, and violence syndemic: Evidence from a qualitative study with Black residents of Chicago

Katherine G Quinn et al. SSM Qual Res Health. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic emerged in the United States in the shadows of a vast history of structural racism and community and police violence that disproportionately affect Black communities. Collectively, they have created a syndemic, wherein COVID-19, racism, and violence are mutually reinforcing to produce adverse health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to understand the COVID-19, racism, and violence syndemic and examine how structural racism and violence contributed to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities. In early 2021, we conducted phenomenological qualitative interviews with 50 Black residents of Chicago. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. We identified four primary themes in our analyses: 1) the intersection of racism and violence in Chicago; 2) longstanding inequities were laid bare by COVID-19; 3) the pervasiveness of racism and violence contributes to poor mental health; 4) and COVID-19, racism and violence emerged as a syndemic. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing social and structural factors in remediating the health and social consequences brought about by COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Community violence; Police violence; Qualitative methods; Racial disparities; Structural racism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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