As the 2024 American elections draw to a close, Democrats might want to prepare for more than presidential debates—especially if Donald Trump snags another victory. Following his victory over Hillary Clinton, studies reported a significant surge in demand for therapy sessions and psychologists. This was explained by the high prevalence of post-election stress and anxiety among Democrats who formed the main opposing team and their supporters. With Trump’s return to the ballot to contest for the presidential position in the United States, the likelihood of another upsurge looms. As a result, many Democrats could find themselves booking therapy appointments to cope with the negative emotional impact his win will cause if it does occur.
Read Also: For Two Days After the Election of Donald Trump in 2016, the Number of Heart Attacks Doubled
Clinton Supporters Reported Increased Stress After Trump’s 2016 Win, Study Says
It’s not uncommon for election cycles to cause anxiety, but the 2016 election appeared to have an outsized effect on the mental health of many Democrats. This was particularly true because they had hoped that Clinton would emerge victorious in the elections which could be explained by the fact that Clinton was in fact a Democrat. Within the first 24 hours following the announcement of Trump’s win, the National Suicide Prevention hotline experienced a massive surge in calls (Mettler, 2016). Interestingly, many of these calls were from Democrats who passionately expressed their displeasure with the result and intention to commit suicide (Mettler, 2016).
Furthermore, a post-election poll by the Washington Post to investigate the impact of the election on Americans reported that an estimated 65% of Clinton supporters reported that Trump’s victory had added a great deal of stress to their lives (Guskin & Clement, 2017). Similarly, a 2020 study by researchers at UCSF and Duke University found out that residents in “Blue States” (a term for states that support the Democratic party) experienced at least one additional half a day of poor mental health in the month after the election (viz. December 2016) compared to the month preceding it (viz. October 2016) (Yan et al., 2020).
As a result of the increase in mental health disorders among Democrats, psychologists reported a sharp increase in appointments as individuals sought ways to cope with feelings of shock, disappointment, and apprehension for the future (Yan et al., 2020).
Anticipating Demand for Psychologists Among Democrats
With the 2024 elections approaching and Donald Trump a key contender once again, history may yet again repeat itself. This implies that the rate of mental health disorders among this group may likely increase. This will be true, especially for Democrats who feel deeply connected to their party ideals or are significantly invested in political figures like Kamala Harris, the Democrat political contender for the elections.
Adding to the potential stress is the ever-present impact of social media, which has now become a primary source for many Americans. Studies have shown that people who constantly engage in political content online during political seasons are more likely to be negatively impacted by that season’s result (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). With the number of Americans who engage in political content online, the impact of this political season is no doubt going to be massive.
Implications
While no one can exactly predict the outcome of the U.S. 2024 presidential election, the emotional impact of its outcome particularly among Democrats if Trump wins is something that should be anticipated. The aftermath of Trump’s election in 2016 showed how much impact election results can have on the well-being of Americans. Consequently, whether or not Trump wins, Americans need to prepare for the emotional impact that would most definitely come with the US election results this year as this can foster resilience no matter the results.
References
Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2), 211–236. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.31.2.211
Guskin, E., & Clement, S. (2017, January 19). Stressed out over Trump’s election? Most Clinton supporters say yes. Washington Post; The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/19/stressed-out-over-trumps-election-most-clinton-supporters-say-they-are/
Mettler, K. (2016, November 10). At suicide hotlines, the first 24 hours of Trump’s America have been full of fear. Washington Post; The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/10/at-suicide-hotlines-the-first-24-hours-of-trumps-america-have-been-full-of-fear/
Yan, B. W., Hsia, R. Y., Yeung, V., & Sloan, F. A. (2020). Changes in Mental Health Following the 2016 Presidential Election. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06328-6
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