Identity, inequality, and the compound impacts of stressors during extreme events: A psychosocial systems thinking analysis

The impacts of extreme events and disasters intersect with pre existing systemic inequalities and people’s social identities to shape how individuals experience and cope with disruption. However, what is the psychosocial process through which stressors become traumatic? This study explores the psychosocial impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on Black, Asian, and minority ethnic mothers with young children in the UK. We examine how stressors stemming from inequalities associated with participants’ ethnic, gender, and parental identities compounded distress. A reflexive thematic analysis of 15 semi-structured interviews showed that participants described a constellation of primary and secondary stressors, including fears of infection, exacerbation of children’s pre existing health conditions, and the pressures of disrupted routines. These interacted with structural inequalities such as racism, financial insecurity, limited childcare support, and gendered expectations of caregiving, to produce heightened distress and feelings of inadequacy in relation to idealised motherhood. Many mothers reported carrying disproportionate childcare burdens, often without partner support, leading to exhaustion, self blame, and reduced personal time. Others described how systemic barriers, such as immigration constraints, racist attitudes or the lack of extended family networks intensified isolation and social exclusion and reduced their sense of agency. Overall, we demonstrate how intersecting social identities and structural conditions shape the stress process during extreme events. We argue that psychosocial systems thinking is essential for understanding how inequalities become embedded in disaster experiences and for informing more equitable support for marginalised parents.