Shifts in national public sentiment caused by large-scale events like the presidential election can affect health, according to an article recently published by The New England Journal of Medicine.
These effects can be positive or negative. However, research indicates the recent election season may have had a negative impact — increasing stress and anxiety among many Americans, particularly those in marginalized groups. For example, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked a notable increase in harassment and hateful intimidation concentrated in K-12 schools since President Donald Trump was elected, according to the report. Past research indicates community-level prejudice increases rates of mortality among marginalized groups, while racial or ethnic hostility portrayed by the media can create adverse changes in health. Research also shows anti-immigrant policies or initiatives can trigger hostility and lead to psychological distress.
These environmental stressors can have an adverse effect on public health. "Concerns about hostility and discrimination or, in some cases, the possibility of sudden deportation and forced separation from one's family, can lead to increased symptoms of anxiety and depression that can, in turn, result in increased visits to healthcare providers and emergency departments," the authors wrote.
They provided the following six actionable steps providers can take to help respond to "postelection side effects."
- Make your healthcare organization a safe space to address patients' emotional distress.
- Demonstrate your organization provides services for all patients by taking a strong stance against hate crimes.
- Stay updated on local and federal policies that could impact stress-related visits.
- Strengthen patient resilience resources to help reduce stress.
- Engage in advocacy and policymaking by presenting the health effects of social policies at community meetings and staging community health interventions when necessary.
- Advocate for more systematic research on how social policies affect the health of marginalized groups.
Read the full article here.
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