The emotional consequences of novel political identities: Brexit and mental health in the United Kingdom


Bentall, Richard P ORCID: 0000-0001-7561-2923, Alsuhibani, Azzam, Bennett, Kate ORCID: 0000-0002-2918-7628, Braddick, Michael, Butter, Sarah ORCID: 0000-0001-9735-9156, Hyland, Philip ORCID: 0000-0002-9574-7128, McBride, Orla ORCID: 0000-0003-3399-9466, McKay, Ryan ORCID: 0000-0001-7781-1539, Shevlin, Mark ORCID: 0000-0001-6262-5223, Stocks, Thomas VA et al (show 1 more authors) (2024) The emotional consequences of novel political identities: Brexit and mental health in the United Kingdom. Political Psychology, 45 (1). pp. 133-149.

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Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Following the 2016 EU referendum on Britain's membership in the European Union, many people described themselves as “Leavers” or “Remainers.” Here, we examine the emotional responses associated with Brexit identities using survey data collected from two nationally representative samples of the British public in 2019 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 638) and 2021 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 2,058). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that many in both samples had coherent Leave or Remain identities. Remain and, to a lesser extent, Leave identities (regardless of how people actually voted in the referendum) predicted distress about Brexit‐related events and clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety at both time points. Structural equation models suggested that the effect of identities on symptoms was largely mediated by distress about Brexit‐related events. We demonstrate a lasting impact of Brexit on the mental health of UK citizens and show that the formation of novel political identities has been more important in this process than voting behavior.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Mind and Body, Depression, Mental Health, Mental health, 3 Good Health and Well Being
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 04 Sep 2023 14:35
Last Modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:26
DOI: 10.1111/pops.12923
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172522
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