Donald Trump’s election was a 'traumatic experience' for many
To say that the 2016 presidential election had a profound impact on the American psyche might be an understatement.
In fact, new research suggests that for many, the experience was actually traumatic.
In a survey of roughly 800 college students, 25 percent reported such high levels of stress after the election that researchers likened it to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study published in the Journal of American College Health.
Throughout the election, researchers noticed some pretty strong reactions in young adults. But the day after the election, lead researcher Melissa Hagan taught two classes where she saw that students were visibly upset -- some were even crying.
Anti-Trump buttons are for sale at a protest against Donald Trump's presidency in 2016.Credit: Getty ImagesThat, in combination with some polls in circulation discussing politically-caused “stress” drove her and her colleagues to look into how exactly the election affected certain people, Hagan said via email.
Hagan and her team administered a psychological assessment called the Impact of Event Scale, which is a standard quick measure to gauge how a person responded to trauma, and they tailored the questions to the presidential election.
They found that some college students were reporting that they were impacted by the election “in such a way that it might lead to diagnosable post-traumatic stress disorder,” Hagan said in a statement.
Some common symptoms of that kind of stress are chronic fatigue, physical illness, stomach or chest pain, and feeling overwhelmed. Results of the survey found that certain groups scored higher on the assessment than others.
For example, Black and Hispanic students reported higher levels of stress than their white peers. Women scored about 45 percent higher than men. And Democrats scored two and a half times higher on the assessment. Non-Christians also reported feeling strongly affected by the election results.
However Hagan said it's important to note that the presidential election itself does nottechnicallyconstitute a traumatic event.
According to the American Psychological Association, in order for an event to be considered traumatic, “it is required that the person was exposed to: death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence,” Hagan said.
That said, media coverage of the new administration's potential policies, some which have already been enacted, were perceived as life-threatening to some Americans. Moreover, many didn’t believe Donald Trump would be elected -- especially not after the Access Hollywood tape was released, which might have been triggering for women and men who are survivors of sexual assault.
Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert, who is unaffiliated with the study, said the study’s results do not come as a shock to him.
“It wasn’t politics as usual," Alpert said in an interview.
An officer watches on as protesters in Phoenix, Arizona gather.Credit: Getty ImagesIn the months following the election, Alpert -- like many other psychologists -- noticed widespread young adult upheaval on both sides of the political spectrum.
It's possible that the shared outrage of college students could reinforce their levels of stress, Alpert said.
"It’s almost like a contagion effect. You could almost catch stress from one another -- like empathy," he said.
Barbara Nosal, Chief Clinical Officer at the mental health facility Newport Academy who is also unaffiliated with the study, said in an interview that the degree of impact also might have to do with where young adults are in their lives.
The competitive college environment, technology, and an undefined sense of independence already affects young adult development -- plus, the election was an additional stressor.
Then presidential-candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Rochester, New York.Credit: Getty Images“Their reaction to the election may have just compounded negativity on top of all of the other pieces of their of identity,” Nosal said.
Nosal said the depth of a reaction is also dependent on the individual person or their most salient demographic, not necessarily the stressor itself.
“Maybe a comment or something that occurs afterwards in their personal life brings the trauma up -- plus ongoing discussions in the media may also trigger a traumatic response," Nosal said.
And while the survey couldn’t reveal any long-term impacts since the assessment was only administered once -- if these symptoms are left unresolved, Nosal said anxiety disorders and depression may follow.
As to whether or not the clinical levels of stress vary based on the overarching political ideology of the school, Hagan thinks "it may be that symptoms are higher in states more 'left-leaning,'" but more research would have to be done to know for sure.
Featured Video For You
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It's an inflatable Trump baby flying around London
(责任编辑:产品中心)
- World's first green ammonia plant is now open for business
- 大咖汇丨2023水产种业高质量发展论坛,各路专家齐聚共话渔业种业新发展
- Astronauts forced to escape malfunctioning Soyuz rocket
- Royal wedding takes turn for the NSFW with BBC subtitle error
- Yes, big spiders are spreading in the U.S. No, they're not flying.
- The Composer Has No Clothes
- Google's ARCore SDK brings AR creation tools to Android
- 史记生物邀您关注2023中国种猪精液大赛!
- 工人中秋坚守岗位奋战
- 13 Places to Find Little Legends and Compact Cryptids
- When Amazon's Customer Reviews Get Ridiculous (and Seriously Funny)
- Nifty machines use rocks to play perfect cover of 'Here Comes the Sun'
- NK leader declares victory in fight against COVID
-
NCT member Taeil leaves band over sexual offense allegations
Taeil of NCT (SM Entertainment)Taeil, a member of K-pop boy band NCT, has left the team after being ...[详细] -
Big donors are keeping a low profile at the convention.
Protesters will shout. Delegates may revolt. Factions will haggle over rules and platform proposals. ...[详细] -
Yoon's NK initiative hits snag as Pyongyang legalizes nuke weapons
A photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean lead ...[详细] -
Lady Gaga shares the devastating story behind the final song in 'A Star is Born'
Warning: Contains *huge* spoilers for the ending of A Star is Born.Anyone's who seen A Star is Bornw ...[详细] -
I got a chance to play around with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and man, it looks like we have to completely ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯日前,1至8月我市外贸进出口数据出炉,全市完成外贸进出口总额2716万美元,同比下降1.95%,占全年目标任务34.2%。全省外贸进出口同比下降22.61%,雅安增幅排全省第8位,我市外贸进 ...[详细]
-
Paterno knew about Sandusky abuse in 1976, unsealed documents say.
Newly unsealed testimony details a previously reported claim that a 14-year-old boy told former Penn ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯10月1日起,被称为“史上最严”的新修订的《食品安全法》正式施行。9月30日,记者从市食品药品监督管理局获悉,在新修订的《食品安全法》正式施行的同时,国家食品药品监督管理总局发布的《食品生产 ...[详细]
-
PRE-ORDER NOW: The new Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) is now available for preorder at Am ...[详细]
-
雅安日报讯日前,省经济和信息化委员会公布了2015年全省“专精特新”中小企业名单,我市雅安金步文化发展有限公司等8家企业成功入选。对获评的“专精特新”中小企业,四川省工业发展专项资金、中小企业发展专项 ...[详细]
- How to Backup Your Gmail Account
- Meet Friar Pup, the cutest new member of The Franciscan Monastery
- Fitbit Versa review: Excellent fitness tracker, mediocre smartwatch
- South Korea calls on North Korea to respond to economic aid offer
- [Exclusive] Samsung unsure of Suga's future as brand ambassador: source
- Sejong University ranks 10th among Korean universities in survey
- WFP chief meets S. Korean ministers to discuss N. Korea food situation