US students ‘suffering PTSD symptoms over 2016 election battle’

The 2016 US presidential election has left one in four university students with symptoms typical of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study.

Researchers decided to investigate what effect the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton might have had on young people after hearing anecdotal reports that indicated an increase in stressed-out students. A total of 769 of Arizona State University psychology students were quizzed shortly after Trump took office, in January 2017, “about their satisfaction with the election, whether they were upset about the outcome and whether the results of the race had affected their close relationships”, reports The Washington Post.

The study found that 25% of the students had been deeply affected by the election outcome and showed levels of stress comparable to those of a mass shooting witness seven months after the event. Women, minority students, non-Christians and Democrats scored highest on the stress scale.

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In a paper on the findings, published in the Journal of American College Health, the researchers warn that the students’ stress levels are particularly concerning “because elevated symptoms of event-related stress are predictive of future distress and subsequent PTSD diagnoses”.

“What’s underneath that [stress] is helplessness and fear,” lead study author Melissa Hagan, an assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, told the Post. “Young people can’t stop thinking about it. It interferes with their concentration.”

The presidential election campaign was dominated by debates on race, identity and sexual assault. “Researchers suggested the combination of Trump’s controversial rhetoric and the surprise of his win could have led to the stress spike,” reports The Guardian.

Events shortly after Trump took power such as the Muslim travel ban “really heightened stress for a lot of people”, Hagan added.

The study did not look at the effects of long-term stress symptoms or present a solution to the issue. But heading into the November midterm elections, a significantly larger proportion of US college students are expected to vote, according to a survey conducted in September by universities news site College Reaction.

Of more than 3,600 students polled, 9.54% said they would definitely vote, compared with the 18% voter turnout in 2014.