05/26/2022

Mass Violence Takes Toll on Americans’ Psyches

Repeated church, schools and store shootings have eroded their sense of safety

When the American Psychological Association surveyed more than 2,000 people about their stress levels just days after back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, in 2019, the findings laid out the toll of seemingly ceaseless, random violence.

A third of the respondents said they would no longer go to certain public places for fear of becoming a casualty of a mass shooting. Almost as many said they could not go anywhere without worrying about being shot. Twenty-four percent said they had made changes in their lives due to their fear of a mass shooting.

Sixty-two percent of parents said they lived in fear of their children becoming victims of a mass shooting, and 71 percent said the possibility of mass violence was adding stress to their lives.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.