“When the political becomes personal”: evaluation of an elected president, election distress, and college students’ psychological well-being

Objective: Although emerging adults’ civic engagement is generally associated with positive outcomes, concerns about an elected candidate’s leadership ability and the implications of administrative turnover may negatively impact youths’ well-being. Using longitudinal data collected during the 2016 election cycle, the current study examined whether negative evaluation of a presidential candidate—who is eventually elected—may be indirectly associated with college students’ psychological well-being due to increased election distress. Participants: 286 college-attending emerging adults (M_age = 20, SD_age = 1.40) participated in the current study. Methods: Path models linking evaluation of Trump’s leadership ability (pre-election) to psychological well-being (approx. 100 days in office) via election distress (presidential inauguration) were computed. Results: Reporting lower confidence in Trump’s leadership ability prior to the election was associated with greater election distress 3 months post-election, and in turn, poorer psychological well-being 6 months post-election. Conclusion: Findings underscore the importance of centering college students’ well-being within a broader sociopolitical context.