Coronavirus, young people, and their perception of risk

There is no doubt that as the first wave of coronavirus infections has died down, our way of behaving has varied beyond the rules applied by governments.

Although during the first days of the application of the state of alarm, most of the population emphasized the need to prevent, sometimes even exaggerating, currently, with the new normal and the return to the streets the environment is much more relaxed. So laid back, 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 especially prone to being exposed to contagion: young people.

• Related article: "The 3 stages of adolescence"

The current situation in the face of the pandemic

Today, we are faced with a panorama that we have not yet fully familiarized ourselves with: in most parts of Spain there are hardly any rules that limit our individual freedoms, but we remain acutely aware of the high risk of a second wave of contagions.

In fact, in some places there are already significant outbreaks

, and that is why some measures are being adopted to follow when we leave the house in general: maintaining the distance from security and in areas such as Catalonia, an obligation to wear a mask also on the street, not only in closed areas and transport public.

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

Of course, it would be totally wrong to think that simply being a teenager means taking fewer steps prevention of contagions, but in situations that affect us all globally, statistics are very important: the average adolescent tends to be more exposed to the risk of contagion of coronavirus, compared to adults.

The perception of risk in young people

During the hardest phase of the first wave of the pandemic, Spain has proven to be one of the countries in which the confinement regulations have been most complied with. However, that does not mean that all citizens have the same predispositions to maintain security measures in what they do on a day-to-day basis.

For decades, it has been known that the young population, which is in the stage of adolescence or the first years of adulthood, she is especially prone to spontaneously putting herself at risk, and in a wide variety of contexts. The implications this has for virus prevention are clear: Although this age group usually copes well with the symptoms of COVID-19 or even does not develop symptoms, they are still capable of transmitting the virus.

This is especially serious if we take into account that adolescents are, in general, gregarious, and in their day-to-day lives it is common to get together in large groups. For example, in moments of leisure during the weekends.

• You may be interested in: "Living in times of uncertainty and change"

Possible explanations for this phenomenon

What is the reason for the tendency of the average adolescent to adopt reckless behavior? Various explanations are being considered in this regard.

From a biopsychological point of view, it is considered that in adolescence the brain's reward system, the one that participates in the way we prioritize our sources of motivation, is not mature enough to place too much importance on long-term or abstract 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 ability to direct the attention of young people towards the here and now, and this would not be so offset 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 them do) than in what adults do.

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

As coronavirus prevention measures are not innate, but rather a cultural phenomenon, the "default option" in which adolescent culture is found is by not giving importance to this issue. The same occurs with the rest of prevention and safety measures, which usually arise through a mixture of personal experience and attention to what the experts of the adult world say.

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

On the other hand, the peak of testosterone production reaches its peak in the period that goes from adolescence to young adulthood, and declines significantly from the age of 30 in men and from the age of 45 in women.

The importance of responsibility for the coronavirus

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

A climate of general awareness that emphasizes the importance of caring for vulnerable people you can achieve great things; probably, many have already been surprised seeing that millions of people have turned to stop the first wave of the pandemic, even if it meant taking economic losses important.

On the other hand, in the face of adolescents who find it especially difficult to adapt to the change brought about by the appearance of the coronavirus, we must not forget that psychotherapeutic support is a useful and effective resource in improving impulse control, learn new ways to channel motivation, resolve family conflicts, overcome a bad time 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 becomes difficult for you and therefore you are looking for psychological support to be able to face it, Get in contact with us.

On Psychological Awakenings, a psychotherapy center founded in 2012 and which currently has several locations throughout the CAM, we have a team of registered professionals with experience in caring for adults, children and teenagers.

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.

Bibliographic 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). The data indicate that Spain is the country where the confinement against the coronavirus has been fulfilled the most. NIUS. Taken from 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.