The presidential election is already stressful for most Americans – and these stressors can trickle down into relationships.

A new poll from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 77% of Americans believe the future of our nation is a “significant source of stress,” along with the economy (73%) and the upcoming election (69%).

The “Stress in America” online survey, which polled 3,000 U.S. adults of different political affiliations in August 2024, analyzed potential fallout from election results, including in people’s relationships.

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About one-third (32%) of adults said the political climate has caused a strain between themselves and family members — while 30% have limited their time spent with family members who don’t share the same values.

Half of U.S. adults admitted that tensions around social and political topics make them want to connect less with others, and 28% claimed they have “nothing in common” with people who have different political opinions.

Another August 2024 survey by LifeStance Health – a mental health care network headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona – found that 44% of Americans have experienced conflicts in their personal lives due to political or election-related discussions.

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Almost a quarter of the 1,052 surveyed adults had considered ending a friendship due to opposing political views, while 18% had done so.

‘Political compatibility’

Political affiliation can also come into play when it comes to dating.

The APA found that 46% of adults would not date someone with different political opinions, split almost evenly between men and women.

Half of Gen Z consider “political compatibility” to be an important factor in dating, the LifeStance survey found. (iStock)

Half of Gen Z respondents in LifeStance’s survey said they consider “political compatibility” to be an important factor in dating, compared to 42% of millennials, 31% of Gen X and 29% of baby boomers.

One-third (33%) of all respondents claimed they would not date someone who disagreed with their political views, while 28% would consider it a “deal-breaker.”

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Almost a quarter of Gen Z and millennials have ended a romantic relationship due to at least one political disagreement.

Setting boundaries

MK Clarkin, a licensed clinical social worker and executive clinical director at LifeStance Health in St. Louis, Missouri, said she finds it “interesting” that younger Americans such as Gen Z prioritize political like-mindedness in their relationships above other generations.

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“These generations share the highest likelihood of experiencing moderate to significant distress around the election cycle, so it stands to reason that they align their relationships with their values and political views,” she told Fox News Digital.

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and former President Donald Trump during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

For those who are anxious about engaging in political discussions with friends or family members who have different opinions, Clarkin recommends setting “clear and kind boundaries.”

“That could sound like, ‘I am so glad to see you, let’s talk about something else. I want to hear about how your new job is going,’” she suggested as an example. 

“Isolating ourselves from our communities is a recipe for adding more stress to our lives.”

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“Or, ‘I get the sense you have a lot to say about the election. I’m going to excuse myself from this conversation, but I’d love to connect with you later and catch up about other parts of life.’”

Clarkin also encouraged the use of “I feel” statements to “express your views without escalating tension.”

An expert encourages Americans to “set clear and kind boundaries” when engaging in political discussions. (iStock)

“Regardless of what side of the political aisle someone stands on, election seasons tend to be tough on mental health,” she said. 

“It’s hard to find an area of our personal lives not directly impacted by who wins an election — personal finance, access to health care, childcare and education, to name a few.”

‘Listen to understand’

Americans have faced a “highly charged” political climate, which has led to the “erosion of civil discourse and strained our relationships with our friends and families,” APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, noted in a press release.

“But isolating ourselves from our communities is a recipe for adding more stress to our lives,” he said. 

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“We must remember that the most extreme voices are often the loudest, and that the majority of adults share similar values and concerns.”

Despite these tensions, healthy social connections are “important for managing stress and overall health,” Dr. Lynn Bufka, APA’s deputy chief of professional practice and a licensed psychologist in Maryland, told Fox News Digital.

“We do not have to agree on everything.”

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Bufka noted that Americans have more in common than they might think, as 82% of U.S. adults believe it’s important to have conversations with people who don’t share the same values.

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“Try to understand the person you’re speaking with and help them feel safe and understood,” she suggested.

Eighty-two percent of U.S. adults believe it’s important to have conversations with people who don’t share the same values, an expert said. (iStock)

“Listen to understand, not to defend your point of view,” Bufka went on. “We do not have to agree on everything.”

People should look for broader qualities in others beyond politics, such as shared values in areas like kindness, respect and support, she advised.

Added Bufka, “Encouraging open dialogue and empathy, even amid disagreement, can enrich relationships and foster resilience against the stressors that come from political division.”

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A pig in Oregon has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, according to a Wednesday announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The infected pig was from a backyard farming operation that had a “mix of poultry and livestock,” the press release stated.

The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed that this was the “first detection of H5N1 in swine” in the U.S.

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“The livestock and poultry on this farm shared water sources, housing and equipment; in other states, this combination has enabled transmission between species,” the release noted.

The infected pig did not display symptoms of illness, but was tested — along with four other swine — out of “an abundance of caution” after other animals on the farm tested positive.

“There is no concern about the safety of the nation’s pork supply as a result of this finding.”

Out of the other five pigs tested, two were negative and two still have pending results.

“This farm is a non-commercial operation, and the animals were not intended for the commercial food supply,” the USDA stated. 

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“There is no concern about the safety of the nation’s pork supply as a result of this finding.”

The farm has been placed under quarantine to prevent further spread of bird flu, and the other animals are being monitored, per the USDA.

Doctors weigh in

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News Senior Medical Analyst, noted that cattle are “definitely now a reservoir” for H5N1.

“A solo pig isn’t concerning except for two things — how many more have it that we don’t know about, and that pigs are a mixing vessel for flu,” he told Fox News Digital.

The infected pig (not pictured) was from a backyard farming operation that had a “mix of poultry and livestock,” the press release stated. (iStock)

“There can be several different kinds of flu in swine at any given time, and they can exchange genetic material, creating new strains,” the doctor cautioned. 

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic, though “mild by pandemic standards,” involved a swine flu, Siegel noted.

Added the doctor, “Continued spread in the pig population would concern me.”

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Dr. Benjamin Anderson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida, noted that while this appears to be an isolated event, there is still “some cause for concern.”

The doctor echoed Siegel’s concern that swine are a known “mixing vessel” for influenza A viruses, “as they are able to be infected by avian and human influenza virus strains.”

“There can be several different kinds of flu in swine at any given time, and they can exchange genetic material, creating new strains,” a doctor warned. (iStock)

“If H5N1, an avian influenza virus, were to regularly transmit among pigs, the greatest concern is that the genetic material from other influenza virus strains circulating in pigs may recombine with it to make a new progeny virus that is more transmissible to humans,” Anderson told Fox News Digital.

The fact that all five of the pigs at the farm were not clinically ill is also concerning when it comes to surveillance, according to the doctor.

“It’s abundantly clear we have a serious H5N1 problem in the U.S. that isn’t going away anytime soon.”

“Most of our testing for H5N1 in farm settings to date has only occurred due to clinical outbreaks,” he said.

“If the virus is causing subclinical (mild illness) or asymptomatic (no illness) infections in other livestock, then we may not catch it without regular ongoing testing.”

Factors that mitigate risk

Samuel Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, said there are two factors that could potentially mitigate the risk associated with this pig becoming infected with bird flu.

“First, the H5N1 virus that infected the pig in Oregon likely came from an infected bird, as opposed to a spillover from an infected dairy farm,” he told Fox News Digital. 

There are two main lineages of H5N1 currently circulating in the US, one in birds and one in dairy cows, an expert noted. (iStock)

“There are two main lineages of H5N1 currently circulating in the US, one in birds and one in dairy cows. We suspect that the H5N1 lineage circulating in dairy cows may be more infectious in humans than the lineage of H5N1 circulating in birds.”

Second, the farm was not large, Scarpino noted, which means there are fewer opportunities for transmission between pigs and for evolution of the virus. 

“In addition, there are fewer humans working on the farm who may have come in contact with infected animals,” he added.

Because the farm was not large, there are fewer opportunities for transmission between pigs and for evolution of the virus, said an infectious diseases expert. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Despite these factors, the expert went on, anytime there are pigs infected with a highly pathogenic avian influenza, measures should be taken to ensure that farm workers are protected and that they have not transmitted the virus to others. 

“Even though this virus did not originate from an infected dairy farm, it’s abundantly clear we have a serious H5N1 problem in the U.S. that isn’t going away anytime soon,” Scarpino cautioned. 

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“We are also entering the normal seasonal flu period, which will make it harder to detect rare H5N1 infections.”

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Scarpino calls for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with state and local public health agencies, to increase resources for influenza surveillance to include both clinical and wastewater testing.