Kuwentos from Filipina Mothers: Mental Health and Kapwa during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the mental health experiences of Filipina mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the growing literature on mental health and COVID-19, few studies have centered the voices of Filipina mothers and the impact of the global pandemic on their mental health. Research has shown that the Filipina/x/o American (FilAm) community was disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to many factors such as living in multigenerational households, working in the healthcare or human service industry, and pre-existing health conditions that rendered COVID-19-related complications (Chan & Litam, 2021; Montano & Acebes, 2020).

Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to answer the following research question: “What and how did a Filipina mother experience the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health?” An online survey was distributed via Qualtrics from October 2022 to January 2023. Afterwards, fourteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews (or kuwentos) were conducted with Filipina mothers based in the U.S. and had kids ages 15 and under. The Filipina mothers were recruited using social network sampling methods (snowball sampling), social media outlets such as Twitter, and emailing flyers to various community groups that predominantly served the FilAm community. Interviews focused on questions that elicited the mother’s perspectives on how they experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and how those experiences influenced their mental health. The questions also assessed the influence of cultural values, such as kapwa, on their mental health experiences. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, analyzed, and coded using the Modified Stevick-Colazzi-Keen method.

Findings: Findings revealed that the mental health experiences of Filipina mothers were unique given their history, positionality, and cultural values. Survey results indicate that out of the 114 participants, 34.4% (n=39) met criteria for anxiety and 45.1% (n=41) met criteria for depression. All of the mom’s kuwentos highlighted the role of kapwa, or us-ness, in their experiences. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) experiencing the tension of navigating the pandemic with the expectation of fulfilling multiple roles, (2) cautiously learning about mental health while unpacking its stigma, and (3) ‘tough as tsinelas’ – Filipina moms are culture bearers, community builders, and a source of strength for intergenerational healing. Together, these three themed showcased the shared experiences Filipina mothers had during the pandemic that ultimately influenced their mental health.

Conclusion and Implications: The experiences of U.S.-based Filipina moms and their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic is a neglected topic. Results of this study suggest that Filipina moms experienced the pandemic in a unique manner given that systems they interacted with did not account for their intersecting identities. Findings also suggest the need for further investigations by social work researchers that explore the influence of cultural values, like kapwa, in the mental health experiences and the ways Filipina moms coped with their mental health challenges.