Coronavirus, youth, and their perception of risk

Young people's perception of risk has implications for the COVID-19 crisis

There is no doubt that as the first wave of coronavirus infections has died down, the way we behave has changed beyond the norms applied by governments.

While during the first days of the state of alarm most of the population emphasized the need for prevention, sometimes even going so far as to exaggerate, today, with the new normality and the return to the streets, the atmosphere is much more relaxed. So relaxed, in fact, that in some cases it can become a problem.

In this article we will talk about the perception of risk in a population particularly prone to exposure to contagion: young people..

The current situation in the face of the pandemic

Today, we are facing a scenario with which we are not yet fully familiar: in most places in Spain there are hardly any rules limiting our individual freedoms, but we are still very aware of the high risk of a second wave of contagions.

In fact, in some places there are already outbreaks of the disease, in some places there are already significant outbreaksFor this reason, some measures are being adopted to be followed when we leave home in general: keeping a safe distance and in areas such as Catalonia, the obligation to wear a mask also in the street, not only in enclosed areas and public transport.

But one thing are the rules and another, the facts.. In general, adults tend to comply easily with this type of health rules, but among the youngest, it is much more common to see non-compliance.

Of course, it would be totally wrong to think that the simple fact of being a teenager implies adopting fewer measures to prevent infection, but in situations that affect us all globally, the statistics are very important: the average adolescent tends to be more exposed to the risk of coronavirus infection compared to adults..

Risk perception in young people

During the harshest phase of the first wave of the pandemic, Spain has proven to be one of the most compliant countries in terms of containment. However, this does not mean that all citizens have the same predisposition to maintain security measures in what they do on a day-to-day basis.

It has been known for decades that the young population, in adolescence or early adulthood, is particularly prone to spontaneous exposure to the virus, and in a wide variety of contexts. The implications this has for virus prevention are clear: while this age group tends to cope well with COVID-19 symptoms or even not develop symptoms, they are still capable of transmitting the virus..

This is especially serious if we take into account that adolescents are generally gregarious, and in their daily lives it is common for them to get together in large groups. For example, during leisure time on weekends.

Possible explanations for this phenomenon

What is the reason for the average teenager's tendency to adopt reckless behavior? There are several explanations for this phenomenon.

From a biopsychological point of view, it is considered that in adolescence, the brain's reward system, the one involved in how we prioritize our sources of motivation, is not mature enough. the brain's reward system, which is involved in the way we prioritize our sources of motivation, is not mature enough to give too much importance to abstract or long-term goals. to give too much importance to abstract or long-term goals.

Thus, in the adolescent brain, the structure known as the limbic system, which is the part of the brain from which emotional impulses arise, would have a greater capacity to direct the attention of young people to the here and now, and this would not be so counteracted by other areas of the nervous system capable of putting community needs first.

However, there is also another possible explanation: because of the way they tend to socialize, adolescents tend to pay much more attention to what other young people are doing. (or rather, in what other young people slightly older than themselves do) than in what adults do.

In other words, in young people there is a kind of culture of their own that is passed on from generation to generation and is very difficult to penetrate from the outside, no matter how much science and medically based safety measures are on our side.

As coronavirus prevention measures are not innate, but a cultural phenomenon, the "default option" in which the adolescent culture finds itself is to not give importance to this issue.. The same is true for all other prevention and safety measures, which tend to emerge through a mixture of personal experience and attention to what the experts in the adult world are saying.

In addition, gender also plays an important role in risk management. There are many studies that associate testosterone production with the tendency to expose oneself to risky situations, and there is a positive correlation between the two. This implies that, in general men are the least concerned about looking after their safety in virtually all areas of life..

On the other hand, testosterone production peaks in the period from adolescence to young adulthood, and declines significantly after the age of 30 in men and 45 in women.

The importance of responsibility for the coronavirus

The fact that adolescents are statistically more reluctant to be consistent with all infection prevention measures does not mean that it is impossible to encourage them to do what is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

A general climate of awareness that emphasizes the importance of looking after vulnerable people can achieve great things; many will probably have been surprised by now to see that millions of people have stepped up to stem the first wave of the pandemic, even if that meant taking significant financial losses.

On the other hand, for adolescents who find it particularly difficult to adapt to the change brought about by the coronavirus, it should not be forgotten that psychotherapeutic support is a useful and effective resource in terms of improving impulse control, learning new ways of channeling emotions, and learning how to deal with the virus.learning new ways of channeling motivation, resolving family conflicts, overcoming a bad period from an emotional point of view, etc.

Are you looking for professional psychological assistance?

If the management of the situations to which the pandemic is exposing us is difficult and you are looking for psychological support to cope with it, contact us.

In Despertares Psychologistsa psychotherapy center founded in 2012 and currently has several locations throughout the CAM, we have a team of licensed professionals with experience in caring for adults, children and adolescents.

Our good work during these years has allowed us to help more than 8,000 patients, in addition to winning, among other things, an award for Professional Excellence. You can count on us in Madrid, Leganés, Móstoles and Getafe, or through online therapy by video call.

Bibliographical references:

• Kumar Kar, S.; Verma, N.; & Saxena, S.K. (2020). Coronavirus Infection Among Children and Adolescents. Nature Public Health Emergency Collection, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), pp. 71 - 79.
• Lillo, D. (2020). Data indicate that Spain is the most compliant country for coronavirus containment. NIUS. Extraido de https://www.niusdiario.es/sociedad/sanidad/coronavirus-espana-pais-mas-reduce-movilidad-medidas-datos-confinamiento-covid-19-apple-google-telefono-movil-geolocalizacion_18_2931345141.html.
• Romer, D. (2012). Adolescent Risk Taking, Impulsivity, and Brain Development: Implications for Prevention. Developmental Psychobiology, 52(3): pp. 263 - 276.
• Sapienza, P.; Zingales, L. & Maestripieri, D. (2009). Gender differences in financial risk aversion and career choices are affected by testosterone. PNAS, 106(36): pp. 15268 - 15273.
• Steinberg, L. (2008). A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Adolescent Risk-Taking. Developmental Review, 28(1): pp. 78 - 106.