The Current Political Climate and Its Effects on Mental Health: A Brief Review and Practical Recommendations
Political Climate and Mental Health: What Recent Data Say Large, nationally sampled surveys show that politics is now a routine stressor. The American Psychological Association’s Stress in America 2024 report identified the future of the nation, the economy, and the presidential election as top stressors for U.S. adults. Qualitative themes included persistent worry, fatigue, and tension around political conversations. (American Psychological Association [APA], 2024). ( American Psychological Association ) Figure 1. Emotions when thinking about politics (Pew Research Center, 2023; Always/Often). Pew Research Center finds that most Americans report negative emotions when thinking about politics— exhaustion and anger dominate—while hope and excitement are comparatively rare. Related work in 2024 documents a growing segment of Americans who are “tuning out” politics to cope—an avoidance strategy that may reduce immediate distress but carries civic tradeoffs. (Pew Research Center, 202...
