The national public health emergency surrounding COVID-19 officially ended on 11 May 2023, and while the return to “normal” has been celebrated by many, the results of the latest Stress in America™ survey paint a different picture. Psychologists at the APA say that a superficial characterisation of more normal everyday life obscures the post-traumatic effects that have altered our mental and physical health.
In reviewing this year’s survey data, APA psychologists largely agreed that there is growing evidence that our society is experiencing the psychological effects of collective trauma.
“The COVID-19 pandemic created a collective experience for Americans. While the early pandemic lockdowns may seem like the distant past, the aftermath remains,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr, PhD, APA’s chief executive officer.
Moreover, widespread trauma is not limited to the pandemic. Global conflict, racism and racial injustice, inflation, and climate-related disasters all weigh on the collective consciousness of Americans.
Stress in America 2023: A Nation Recovering from Collective Trauma examines the lasting psychological effects of this combination of epochal crises. An examination of mental and physical health before and after the pandemic reveals signs of collective trauma across all age groups.
The data suggest that the long-term stress experienced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on well-being, as evidenced by an increase in chronic illnesses – particularly among those aged 35 to 44, which rose from 48% in 2019 to 58% in 2023. Adults aged 35 to 44 also experienced the highest increase in mental health diagnoses – from 31% reported in 2019 to 45% in 2023 – although adults aged 18 to 34 still reported the highest rate of mental illness, at 50% in 2023.
Psychological science has shown that long-term stress puts us at risk for a wide range of mental health problems, can make us more sensitive to even everyday problems, can have a broader impact on our overall outlook and goals in life, and can affect the body’s physiological response to stressors in ways that have notable implications for our physical health. Coping with long-term stress requires a different set of skills than adapting to temporary stressors.
Stress puts the body on high alert, and persistent stress can build up, causing inflammation, weakening the immune system and increasing the risk of a range of conditions, including digestive problems, heart disease, weight gain and stroke.
“We cannot ignore the fact that we have been significantly changed by the loss of more than a million Americans, as well as the changes in our workplaces, school systems, and culture at large. To move toward post-traumatic growth, we must first identify and understand the psychological wounds that remain,” said Evans.
