OPAL Psychological | Mental Health Research / Election Stress & Anxiety
Election Season Is Ending. Why Doesn’t the Stress?
Research suggests the steady stream of news, more than the result itself, may be what weighs on people most. Here is what that means and what may help.
Begin readingThe polls have closed, but the phone has not. In the days after an election, many people find themselves refreshing vote counts, rereading headlines, or bracing for the next family conversation. Whatever the result, the same pattern can show up: a tight chest, restless sleep, and a mind that keeps scanning for what comes next.
This article takes no side and says nothing about who won. The research applies across the political spectrum, and it is educational, not diagnostic.
Why the Stress Can Outlast Election Day
Political stress is common, and it does not belong to one party. In the American Psychological Association’s 2026 Stress in America survey, fielded this summer, 74% of adults named the future of the nation as a significant source of stress (APA, 2026). Many also described pulling back: 28% had avoided the news, and 51% felt too emotionally drained to stay engaged with world events.
Stress in America 2026, at a glance
APA / The Harris Poll · 3,132 U.S. adults · July 29–Aug. 24, 2026Self-reported online survey fielded before Election Day. It describes stress in general, not stress about this election alone.
Elections can also act as a pressure valve. In a two-wave national survey around the 2020 presidential election, political anxiety was generally lower after the vote than before it (Smith et al., 2024). The drop was not universal, though. People who were highly politically engaged, or who scored high on negative emotionality, reported more anxiety afterward than their counterparts. That election took place during a pandemic, so the pattern may not carry over to every year.
What the Research Reveals
Which part of election stress matters most? A 2025 Psychiatry Research study of 778 young adults separated election stress into three kinds: anticipatory stress before the vote, stress about the result, and stress from election news (Zhao et al., 2025). News-related stress was associated with higher odds of symptoms consistent with at least moderate depression and at least moderate generalized anxiety, as measured by standard screening questionnaires. Anticipatory stress was associated with depression only. Stress about the outcome itself showed no significant association with either.
Two cautions: the sample was young, and 72.6% identified as liberal or very liberal, so it may not reflect everyone; and the design shows association, not cause.
A September 2026 meta-analysis pooled research on doomscrolling (repetitive, hard-to-stop engagement with negative online content), not on election news specifically (Li & Yin, 2026). More doomscrolling went along with more anxiety, depression, and distress, and with lower well-being and life satisfaction.
Research at a glance
Li & Yin, 2026 · Frontiers in PsychologyPooled correlation between doomscrolling and each outcome
Dot = pooled correlation (r). Line = 95% confidence interval. Right of center: higher doomscrolling goes with more of the outcome. Left: with less.
- Anxiety12 effectsr = 0.3595% CI 0.27 to 0.43
- Depression6 effectsr = 0.3595% CI 0.16 to 0.52
- Psychological distress5 effectsr = 0.5195% CI 0.37 to 0.62
- Psychological well-being12 effectsr = −0.2995% CI −0.38 to −0.20
- Life satisfaction5 effectsr = −0.2595% CI −0.37 to −0.13
A correlation of 0 means no linear relationship; r is not a percentage. Heterogeneity between studies was high (I² roughly 80% to 95%). Source: Li & Yin (2026), Figure 3 and Results.
The authors’ own conclusion is measured: the evidence “does not establish causality.” The pooled studies were mostly cross-sectional, and none focused on election news.
What the Evidence Does and Does Not Show
Together, these studies suggest, without proving, that post-election strain may have less to do with the result and more to do with how much of the news cycle people keep absorbing. The feed keeps going after the counting ends.
Reasonably supported
- Political stress is widely reported across U.S. adults (APA, 2026).
- News-related stress tracked with depression and anxiety symptoms; outcome stress did not (Zhao et al., 2025).
- Doomscrolling goes along with worse mood and well-being (Li & Yin, 2026).
Still open
- Whether news exposure causes distress. People already anxious may scroll more (Li & Yin, 2026).
- Whether findings hold for older adults or other political views (Zhao et al., 2025).
- Whether limiting news reduces election stress. None of these studies tested it.
Associations are a reason to look closer, not a verdict.
What May Help
None of the studies above tested a way to reduce election stress, so these are considerations, not treatments. The evidence behind each is noted.
Considerations, not treatments
Evidence strength noted for each1Give the news a schedule
Decide when you will check updates and for how long.
Evidence: Associational only. Not tested as an intervention.
2Notice reassurance-seeking
If relief from checking lasts only minutes, the urge may be about uncertainty, not information.
Evidence: A proposed explanation, not an established cause.
3Protect the basics
Keep sleep, movement, meals, and trusted company steady while the news is not.
Evidence: General guidance; not tested in these studies.
4Plan for the conversations
Holidays are close. In APA’s 2024 survey, 32% said the political climate had strained a family relationship (APA, 2024). Decide in advance which topics you will engage with and when you will step away.
Evidence: Survey figures are descriptive; the strategy is untested.
If strain lasts for weeks, or starts to affect sleep, work, relationships, or your ability to enjoy things, it is worth discussing with a licensed professional, who can help sort out whether it is ordinary stress, anxiety, low mood, or something else.
Informed Does Not Have to Mean Braced
Caring about your community and country is not the problem. How we take in information may matter as much as the information itself, and that is one part people can adjust.
If the vigilance feels hard to switch off, a clinician can help sort out whether it is stress, anxiety, or something else.
Reference
- 1.American Psychological Association. (2024). Stress in America™ 2024: A nation in political turmoil.
- 2.American Psychological Association. (2026, October 22). Stress in America™ 2026: The stress of uncertainty.
- 3.Li, Q., & Yin, X. (2026). Doomscrolling, mental health, and psychological well-being in adolescents and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, Article 1893800. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1893800
- 4.Smith, K., Weinschenk, A., & Panagopoulos, C. (2024). On pins and needles: Anxiety, politics and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties, 34(3), 409–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2023.2189258
- 5.Zhao, C., Woolverton, G. A., Rastogi, R., Menor, A., Hahm, H. C., & Liu, C. H. (2025). 2024 presidential election stress and its association with depression and anxiety among U.S. young adults: A two-wave survey study. Psychiatry Research, 351, Article 116574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116574
Your Next Step Can Start With a Conversation.
A first conversation can help you decide what support fits. Sessions are available in La Jolla and virtually across California.
Continue Exploring
Anxiety Therapy
Explore personalized psychological support for persistent worry, tension, and overwhelm.
Visit page →Seasonal Depression in San Diego
Why shorter days can still affect mood, even when the forecast says sunny.
Read the article →Individual Therapy
Learn how one-on-one psychological care can support your mental health and well-being.
Visit page →