Availability of BIPOC Groups in Chicagoland High Schools: Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Category: 2021 Posters
Apr
10
Kimberly Zaucha, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL (USA)
Antonia Stamatoukos, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL (USA)
This poster examines the availability of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) support groups in Chicagoland high schools prior to and during COVID-19. A survey was administered to predominantly white and diverse high schools to determine the possibility of a correlation between groups offered and racial/ethnic composition of the student body. This poster intends to determine a shift, through survey data, in the numbers of BIPOC groups offered amid a racial and global pandemic.
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Presentation Description:
For many young people, schools are considered a primary mental health provider, however, with global school shutdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, many students, particularly students of color, were left without mental health care. This sudden decrease in support is alarming considering BIPOC were disproportionately affected by the pandemic in a variety of ways, including but not limited to financial instability, job loss, higher rates of contracting and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, and racial injustice. The sociopolitical, racial, and environmental stresses that BIPOC communities experience daily have been magnified during this racial and global health pandemic (Quirk, 2020; Fortuna, Tolou-Shams, Robles-Ramamurthy, Porsche, 2020). With this in mind, this poster is taking a deeper look into how schools are utilizing their resources in terms of group supports to address these global injustices. High school students’ perceptions support research that suggests mental health disparities for BIPOC are more significant than their White peers. One article found that students of color can often feel a lack of connection and support with staff as well as their peers and overall school community (Bottiani, Bradshaw, and Mendelson, 2016). This finding supports the indication that further isolation from the school community as a result of the pandemic would exacerbate mental health challenges for BIPOC communities. Groups can be highly therapeutic and promote healing, which could greatly benefit member cohesion and understanding. Universality and catharsis, group factors proposed by Yalom, are essential in running an effective group, especially for BIPOC students. A group in which people of color feel comfortable increases their likelihood to disclose personal information and find shared experiences with other members (Yalom, 2005; Kivighan, Drinane, Tao, Owen, and Liu, 2019). This evidence points to the value and importance of providing support groups for students of color within the high school setting to facilitate connections with peers and navigation of their unique identities. This poster provides information regarding the availability of BIPOC affinity and support groups prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chicago metropolitan area high schools. It will present data findings gathered from surveys administered to school social workers and counselors regarding groups offered to high school students with a specific focus on their racial and ethnic identities. This poster will examine the data of groups offered before the pandemic and during the pandemic, and will summarize trends with relation to the racial and ethnic demographics of the high school. Finally, this poster highlights the importance and necessity of creating intentional group spaces for BIPOC students that acknowledge their need for mental health support within the school setting.
References:
- Bottiani, J., Bradshaw, C., & Mendelson, T. (2016). Inequality in Black and White High School Students’ Perceptions of School Support: An Examination of Race in Context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(6), 1176–1191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0411-0
- Fortuna, L. R., Tolou-Shams, M., Robles-Ramamurthy, B., & Porche, M. V. (2020). Inequity and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color in the United States: The need for a trauma-informed social justice response. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.
- Kivlighan, D., Drinane, J., Tao, K., Owen, J., & Liu, W. (2019). The Detrimental Effect of Fragile Groups: Examining the Role of Cultural Comfort for Group Therapy Members of Color. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 66(6), 763–770. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000352
- Quirk, Abby. (2020).Mental Health Support for Students of Color During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/news/2020/07/28/488044/mental-health-support-students-color-coronavirus-pandemic/
- Yalom, I. (2005). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. Fifth Edition Basic Books. Ch. 1, “The Therapeutic Factors,” pp. 1-18.
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