Contributor of this article:  Rosie Zhang 

A groundbreaking study published in BMC Psychology has shed new light on how Chinese migrants in Canada coped emotionally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-led Dr. Lixia Yang from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), and Dr. Peter Wang the University of Toronto (UofT), Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), and the Centre for New Immigrant Well-Being (CNIW), this is the first large-scale interview study to capture real-time personal narratives from 61 participants across different ages and genders.

Pandemic Minds: How Chinese Migrants in Canada Experienced and Managed the Emotional Toll-Centre for New Immigrant Well-Being (CNIW)

Download link：https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-025-02993-6?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Widespread Fear and Emotional Strain

Dr. Yang says "The findings highlight how overwhelmingly common negative emotions were during the pandemic—fear, worry, sadness, loneliness, and anger—with fear emerging as the most dominant emotion, especially among women. Older adults were particularly vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation. As one participant described ... "

“I am scared. The whole family will get infected if anyone in the family gets infected. This will spread to our neighbors, the community, and the town. This is most frightening.”

Moments of Strength and Coping

Despite these challenges, many participants also demonstrated resilience. They reported moments of:

    • Self-oriented positivity such as calmness, joy, and confidence

    • Other-oriented emotions such as gratitude and compassion

    • Practical coping strategies like exercising, spending time with family, or reframing expectations

One older woman reflected:

“It is also beneficial to slow down and stay at home—with more space, more time, and more freedom. Everything became quiet and peaceful.”

A middle-aged woman shifted her mindset:

“Instead of thriving, we aim for surviving.”

A middle-aged man described turning to family activities:

“Spending more time with family, biking with kids, playing MaJiang with older adults.”

However, the study found that younger adults used fewer adaptive coping strategies overall, making them especially vulnerable.

Pandemic Minds: How Chinese Migrants in Canada Experienced and Managed the Emotional Toll-Centre for New Immigrant Well-Being (CNIW)

Why This Matters

By spotlighting these personal experiences, the study identifies women and younger adults as key groups in need of emotional and mental health support. It also points to adaptive strategies that helped foster resilience—valuable insights for designing culturally sensitive, age- and gender-aware public health and mental health programs for migrant communities.