Postelection Stress: Symptoms, Relationships, and Counseling Service Utilization in Clients Before and After the 2016 U.S. National Election

• Published in: Journal of counseling psychology 2019-11, Vol.66 (6), p.726-735
• Main Authors: McCarthy, Kevin S., Saks, Joshua V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anxiety; Clients; Community Counseling; Conflict; Counseling; Counseling - methods; Counseling - trends; Counseling psychology; Counseling services; Dominance; Elections; Ethnic groups; Female; Human; Humans; Interpersonal conflict; Interpersonal problems; Interpersonal Relationships; Male; Middle Aged; Minority groups; National elections; Political Elections; Politics; Psychological problems; Psychotherapy; Resistance (Psychology); Stress; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Stress, Psychological - therapy; Therapeutic alliances; Therapists; United States - epidemiology; Voting; Women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0022-0167; 1939-2168
• DOI: 10.1037/cou0000378

The 2016 U.S. national election brought increased anxiety, relationship conflict, and counseling utilization for many Americans, especially among women, millennials, racial and ethnic minority (REM) members, and economically disadvantaged persons. The present study examined psychological symptoms, interpersonal tension, and counseling service requests over 36 months of data (April 2015-March 2018) from 56 clients and 14 therapists engaged in a routine outcomes monitoring project at a training community counseling center. Clients resided in a Democratic-leaning area in a Republican-voting state, and 78% were women, 53% were under 30 years of age, 33% were an REM, and 92% earned below the median state income level. Symptoms did not show an association with the political climate, and interpersonal problems reduced during counseling. Although interpersonal conflict decreased prior to the election, it increased afterward, largely due to problems of dominance and control in relationships. Younger and REM individuals showed larger increases in interpersonal tension after the election than did older and non-REM persons. Alliances decreased over the entire data-collection period. Counseling intakes increased after the election, although potentially due to seasonal patterns. With attention to the effect of political events on individuals, the field of counseling psychology may be able to help clients and the larger society manage difficult interactions around real differences in political opinions and disparities. Public Significance Statement Postelection stress in clients may be experienced as ongoing relationship conflict. Incorporating political discussion into counseling can assist clients with reactions to social events, and counseling methods might improve difficult interactions around politics.