Election-Related Post-Traumatic Stress: Evidence from the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Abstract

The 2020 U.S. presidential election saw rising political tensions among ordinary voters and political elites, with fears of election violence culminating in the January 6 riot. We hypothesized that the 2020 election might have been traumatic for some voters, producing measurable symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also hypothesized that negative sentiment toward the opposing party correlates with PTSD. We measured PTSD using a modified version of the PCL-5, a validated PTSD screener, for 573 individuals from a nationally representative YouGov sample. We modeled the association between affective polarization and PTSD, controlling for political, demographic, and psychological traits. We estimate that 12.5% of American adults (95% CI: 9.2% to 15.9%) experienced election-related PTSD, far higher than the annual PTSD prevalence of 3.5%. Additionally, negativity toward opposing partisans correlated with PTSD symptoms. These findings highlight a potential need to support Americans affected by election-related trauma.

Introduction to the issue

“…The interdisciplinarity of PLS is manifest in this issue. Topics range from 2020 election-related post-traumatic stress (Fraser et al, 2023) and social fragmentation related to sleep disruptions (Holbein & Crabtree, 2023) to partisan niche construction (Arreguin, 2023) and the origins of morality policy (Wendell & Tatalovich, 2023). Following a cautious approach to COVID-19-related research during and immediately following the well-justified urgency regarding the pandemic, this issue includes two articles regarding Americans’ responses to coronavirus policies.…”