CHATogether: a novel digital program to promote Asian American Pacific Islander mental health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Jae Eun Song; Nealie T Ngo; Jessica G Vigneron; Alan Lee; Steve Sust; Andrés Martin; Eunice Y Yuen

doi:10.1186/s13034-022-00508-4

CHATogether: a novel digital program to promote Asian American Pacific Islander mental health in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2022 Sep 23;16(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s13034-022-00508-4.

Authors

Jae Eun Song^#¹, Nealie T Ngo^#^{2

3}, Jessica G Vigneron^{4

5}, Alan Lee⁵, Steve Sust⁶, Andrés Martin⁷, Eunice Y Yuen^{8

9}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Comparative medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
² University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA.
³ Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA.
⁴ University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
⁶ Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
⁷ Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁸ Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA. eunice.yuen@yale.edu.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. eunice.yuen@yale.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, we developed the Compassionate Home, Action Together program, (CHATogether) to support the mental health of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. CHATogether is a culturally informed and virtually delivered support program that harnesses the talents of AAPI teens, young adults, parents, and mental health professionals who share a commitment to serve their local communities.

Methods: Our objective was to identify the active components, optimal utilization, potential benefits, and pertinent limitations of the CHATogether program during the 3 years since its inception in 2019. By that time, the program had developed six distinct component arms: interactive theater, mental health education, research, peer support and community outreach, collaboration, and AAPI mentorship. To work towards this objective, we conducted a qualitative study using thematic analysis and an inductive approach based on grounded theory (GT), in which we analyzed anonymized transcripts of four focus groups, comprised of 20 program participants (11 females; 9 males).

Results: We developed a model of two overarching domains, each with three underlying themes: I. Individual stressors: (1) Family conflict; (2) Cultural identity; and (3) Pandemic impact; and II. Collective stressors: (1) Stigma related to mental health and illness; (2) Pandemic uncertainty; and (3) Xenophobia and societal polarization. Strengths of the CHATogether program include its role as a conduit toward AAPI connectedness and pride as well as purpose in building community. Through support and mentorship, the program cultivates a unique platform that promotes healing and resiliency in response to pandemic stressors and beyond.

Conclusions: CHATogether creates a safe space for the AAPI community. Through its methods of storytelling and encouraging creativity, CHATogether facilitates the discussion of challenging topics specific to the AAPI community. Given the national mental health crisis that is further being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a digital prevention program such as CHATogether holds promise towards providing access to mental health resources and supporting early help-seeking behaviors for individuals in the AAPI community.

Keywords: Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI); Culturally-informed mental health; Qualitative methods; Virtually delivered intervention; and COVID-19.

Abstract

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