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Distressed Democrats and relaxed Republicans? Partisanship and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic was a potent stressor, yielding unprecedented levels of mental distress. However, public health responses and personal reactions to the pandemic were politically polarized, with Democrats highlighting and Republicans downplaying its severity. Did Republicans subsequently experience as much mental distress as Democrats during the COVID-19 pandemic? This study examines partisan patterns in mental health outcomes at three time points throughout the pandemic. Results demonstrate a clear partisan distress gap, with Democrats consistently reporting worse mental health than Republicans. Trend data suggest that the 2020 pandemic patterns are a continuation and exacerbation of an existing partisan distress gap. Consideration of race, however, demonstrates a widening partisan distress gap, specific to white Americans. Among white Americans, therefore, Democrats experienced a substantially greater increase in distress in response to the pandemic than Republicans.

SUBMITTER: Bock S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9022799 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Distressed Democrats and relaxed Republicans? Partisanship and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bock Sean S Schnabel Landon L

PloS one 20220421 4

The COVID-19 pandemic was a potent stressor, yielding unprecedented levels of mental distress. However, public health responses and personal reactions to the pandemic were politically polarized, with Democrats highlighting and Republicans downplaying its severity. Did Republicans subsequently experience as much mental distress as Democrats during the COVID-19 pandemic? This study examines partisan patterns in mental health outcomes at three time points throughout the pandemic. Results demonstrat ...[more]

PMID: 35446860

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Project description:Numerous nations have implemented lockdown measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence of the lockdown on daily living, social participation, and health service accessibility, vulnerable people, for example, new mothers, may experience an increase in mental health problems. This cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on Thai new mothers and the variables affecting their mental health. The survey data were collected from 903 Thai mothers with infants aged 0-12 months using an online platform and a face-to-face interview questionnaire survey between 17 July and 17 October 2020, during the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown period. For the final analysis, there were 862 participants who completed all of the questions. The full exploratory analysis was performed by multivariable linear regression to identify the variables influencing maternal mental health. Our study demonstrated that new mothers reported feeling a high extent to some extent of worry (44.9%), increased appetite (40.4%), becoming easily annoyed or irritable (39.1%), and feeling down (33.5%), whereas 82.7% felt able to cope with the first lockdown situation. Practiced relaxation techniques were associated with positive maternal mental health (adjusted β = 1.05, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.52, p < 0.001). The perceived impact of the COVID-19 lockdown was on the household's ability to pay for rent, to make mortgage payments (adjusted β = -1.59, 95% CI -2.87 to -0.36, p = 0.011), the household's ability to pay for other essentials, such as utilities and medication (adjusted β = -1.99, 95% CI -3.16 to -0.81, p = 0.001), household crowding after lockdown (adjusted β = -3.46, 95% CI -4.86 to -2.06, p < 0.001), and not going outside or doing outdoor activities (adjusted β = -2.22, 95% CI -3.35 to -1.08, p < 0.001). These impacts were significantly associated with negative mental health. In conclusion, our results emphasize the critical need for continuous monitoring of maternal mental health and developing an effective response strategy and activity for promoting maternal mental health under the stress of repetitive lockdowns and increased economic pressures.

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Distressed Democrats and relaxed Republicans? Partisanship and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publications

Distressed Democrats and relaxed Republicans? Partisanship and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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