“some had stress scores on par with that of school shooting witnesses”

In the weeks following the 2016 election, we documented multiple incidents of bizarre behavior on college campuses which included everything from group primal screams to safe spaces with coloring books and cookies. Now it all makes sense.

A survey conducted at Arizona State University by a professor from San Francisco State found that 25 percent of students experienced symptoms on par with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the 2016 election.

Mia De Graaf writes at the Daily Mail:

25% of students say they were traumatized by the 2016 election, study says A quarter of students found the 2016 so traumatic they now report symptoms of PTSD, according to a new study. Researchers surveyed Arizona State University students around the time of President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017, and some had stress scores on par with that of school shooting witnesses’ seven-month follow-ups. Twenty-five percent of the 769 students, who were an even mix of genders and races and socioeconomic backgrounds, reported ‘clinically significant’ levels of stress. The most severe cases were seen among women, black, and non-white Hispanic students, who were 45 percent more likely to feel distressed by the 2016 run between Trump and Hillary Clinton. Lead researcher Melissa Hagan, an assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, believes the ‘divisive tone’ about race, identity, and what makes a valuable American ‘really heightened stress for a lot of people’.

Adele Peters of Fast Company has more:

The 2016 election was so stressful it gave college kids symptoms like they had PTSD A few months after the 2016 presidential election, some college students experienced levels of stress comparable to what witnesses feel half a year after a mass shooting. A study of hundreds of Arizona State University students in early 2017, published today, found that 25% showed clinically significant levels of stress. The lead author, who teaches at San Francisco State University, decided to pursue the study after seeing the reactions of her two classes the day after the election. “In both classes, students were visibly upset, and even crying,” says Melissa Hagan, an assistant professor of psychology at the university. Many of the students were women or came from immigrant families. “They described being fearful of what the election outcome meant for the country,” she says. “I became concerned that the election might have led to clinically significant symptoms–intrusive thoughts, extreme avoidance of reminders of the election or election results, et cetera.”

One has to wonder if the media bears any responsibility for this stress. For months, Trump was described by many in the MSM as the second coming of Hitler who would put immigrants and gay people in camps. They were also told repeatedly that there was no way he could win.

Patrick Monahan of San Francisco State News touches on that in his report:

For some young adults, the 2016 U.S. election was a ‘traumatic experience’ In January and February 2017 the team surveyed 769 students enrolled in psychology courses at Arizona State University. The students represented a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, religions, social classes and political identities. Each student filled out a psychological assessment called the Impact of Event Scale, with questions tailored to the 2016 election. “The scale is used to gauge the extent to which individuals have been impacted by an event in such a way that it might lead to diagnosable post-traumatic stress disorder,” explained Hagan. Twenty-five percent of students surveyed crossed that threshold, showing “clinically significant” levels of stress. The average stress score of students was comparable to the scores of witnesses to a mass shooting seven months after the event… So what made this election so stressful? One factor, the researchers believe, was the surprise — for many, it came as a shock when Donald Trump was elected president.

If Republicans hold the House and Senate in November, prepare for a whole new round of this.



