Racial/Ethnicity Disparities in COVID-19 Worry for Caregivers of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Asif et al. (2024) sent a survey to caregivers of adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities in Texas.

They asked how worried each caregiver felt about COVID-19 and about running out of food or supplies.

The team then compared answers from Latino caregivers with answers from White caregivers.

Latino caregivers scored much higher on worry about food and supply shortages.

Their open-ended comments also told of missed day-programs and extra duties at home.

White caregivers, in the same survey, reported lower levels of this specific worry.

Wang et al. (2021) already showed that Black and Latinx adults with IDD face distrust and confusion about where to get health care.

Laiba’s 2024 results extend that picture: when a crisis hits, the same families worry first about basic survival items.

Arana et al. (2019) found a seeming reverse pattern—Hispanic women with ID actually receive more mammograms than White peers.

Together the studies show that disparities are not one-directional; Latino caregivers can experience both extra worry and, in other contexts, extra service use.

During any emergency—pandemic, storm, or power outage—check on your Latino IDD families first. Ask, “Do you have enough food, diapers, meds for the next week?” A quick supply list and a backup vendor number can cut worry faster than a long behavior plan.