Many have observed the decline of adulthood in the rising generation. But a new study conducted by Arizona State University has perhaps the most chilling results yet.
The researchers assessed self-reported stress levels related to the results of the 2016 election. Apparently, today’s young adults are too fragile to handle a national political debate.
A quarter of students found the 2016 so traumatic they now report symptoms of PTSD, according to a new study.
Researchers surveyed Arizona State University students around the time of President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017, and some had stress scores on par with that of school shooting witnesses’ seven-month follow-ups.
Twenty-five percent of the 769 students, who were an even mix of genders and races and socioeconomic backgrounds, reported ‘clinically significant’ levels of stress.
What is causing the decline in resilience? The researchers point to increased consumption of political news on social media, among other factors. Others, like the authors of The Coddling of the American Mind, suspect that safe spaces might be increasing the psychological instability of America’s youth.
Folks on Twitter were quick to put these results in perspective:
Imagine saying this to, say, a Marine who fought in Fallujah. https://t.co/Z3pIM8M4vG
— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) October 23, 2018