2020 presidential election causes anxiety among Americans

The news just bothers me when I listen to them and they cause me anxiety on a scale I can't sleep at”, says Betty Mattimore, a Virginia financial service professional who supports President Donald Trump.

I have too much anxiety, I don't sleep well... I'm extremely stressed”, says Julie, a lawyer from Maryland State who supports former Vice President Joe Biden.

I'm so stressed out that I can't talk about elections, or think or read about it to”.

Most American adults can identify themselves with Mrs. Mattmore and Julie. According to a recent report by the American Psychological Association, about 68% of adults in the United States view presidential elections as a major source of stress in their lives.

It's a two-party concern -- 76% of the Democrats, 67% of the republics, and 64% of the independents feel stress.

Also, 77% of American adults say they are concerned about the country's future.

There are many stresses that people are going through right now and all will be affected, one way or another, by the result of these” elections, says Dr. Vaille Wright, a psychologist and coauthor of the election stress report.

“Things such as access to health care, climate change, pandemic, social unrest, mass killings, all these problems have a truly significant impact at the national level,” adds Wright.

The percentage of African-American adults who are stressed out for elections is markedly higher than it was during the last presidential election, rising from 46% in 2016 to 71% this year. And chronicd adults are more likely to report elections as a source of stress.

Julie, Biden's supporter, is worried about how she can handle the situation if Trump wins again.

The last “elections were a major shock”, she says. And the country has experienced so much turmoil and loss since then, but I still feel affected by the elections. And if that happens again, I just don't know how another four years will go by.

“Uncertainty is a major driver of stress. We are in an unprecedented situation where almost everything is uncertain at this moment. We have the next election where, as you know, we have interlocked early voting, and voting through mail, and this adds a lot to the uncertainty”, says psychologist Wright.

Vote through mail, voter fraud and election integrity are in the mind of Brendan Mattimore, your husband Betty, also a supporter of President Trump.

I'm very worried and very stressed. ... I always trust the American people to make decisions and these things usually work, but I think there are many factors that should be considered” says Brendan, who works as a budget and finance expert. “There is plenty of room for fraud and these choices are very important, so it's naive to think that there are no people or organizations that want to take advantage of this situation and manipulate the process. ”

And who does he believe would be the ones who did a possible trick?

“I think there will be more on the democrat side,” he says. There might also be some cases from the Republican side, but I just don't think there'll be much manipulation among the republics. ”

Moving from a more liberal state on the eastern coast to the conservative state of Indiana has been an awareness experience for Mr. Biden's support, Adrienne LaBorwi.

Now that I live here, I understand how Trump was chosen. And when I was living in Washington, D.C., I just didn't understand how he could be supported here? I think they're just tired of old politicians... which doesn't help Joe Biden who's been in Congress for 36 years. ”

And with this new perspective, there's more tension.

“

The recognition of this attitude adds to my anxiety. ”

Meanwhile, Betty Mattimore, supporter of Trump, has focused on what will happen after the elections.

I really hope the country can move forward. However, I think, whoever wins... will have some kind of chaos after these elections”, she says.

I feel like we've never really accepted President Trump as president after the 2016 elections. And if he wins again? Will there be another four years of procedure for blaming him by Congress? ”

I just want politicians to run,” she adds. “I want them to do what they're supposed to do for the country, for families. I'm tired of all the politics: ” /voa