American stress levels are reaching new highs over inflation and the Ukraine war on the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Harris poll that the American Psychological Association released Thursday.
More U.S. adults rated inflation and the Ukraine invasion as significant stressors than any other issue the poll has asked about in its 15-year history. That follows a broader poll last month that found “money stress” at the highest recorded level since 2015, the APA said.
The poll found that 87% of Americans cited rising prices due to inflation as a “significant source of stress.” Respondents cited supply chain issues (81%), global uncertainty (81%), Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (80%) and potential retaliation from Russia (80%) in the form of cyberattacks or nuclear threats as their next-biggest stressors.
Psychologist Lynn Bufka, the APA’s associate chief for practice transformation, said the poll indicates “the impact of compounding global crises” as this month marks the second anniversary of the World Health Organization declaration of a global pandemic.
“Unlike other conflicts in recent years, the invasion of Ukraine is having an immediate impact on us at home. We can see the impact in the prices at the grocery store or at the pump,” Ms. Bufka told The Washington Times. “At the same time, we are watching the war in real-time on social or traditional media, direct from the conflict, often provided by civilians without context. The stories are humanized and distressing. We are overexposed and many of us are not taking breaks.”
She’s urging stressed Americans to “set boundaries” on their exposure to traumatic media stories.
“Watch or read enough to stay informed, but take breaks,” Ms. Bufka said. “Decide how often you will check the news and stick to it. This is particularly important for those directly connected to the conflict, who have experienced war, fled attacks or been a refugee.”
The survey also found that 63% of adults said COVID-19 has changed their lives forever, 87% said “it feels like there has been a constant stream of crises over the last two years” and 73% said they feel “overwhelmed by the number of crises facing the world right now.”
“The survey findings make clear that U.S. adults appear to be emotionally overwhelmed and showing signs of fatigue,” the APA said in a summary of the findings.
Ashley Bernardi, a Northern Virginia-based author and trauma survivor, said stressful images from Ukraine and the pandemic can stir up deep emotions for many people.
“My hope is that we take time to dig into those uncomfortable feelings we may have buried over the last two years and process them in healthy ways so they don’t impact us physically later,” Ms. Bernardi said.
Harris conducted its late-breaking Stress in America poll of 2,051 U.S. adults online March 1-3 on behalf of the American Psychological Association. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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