Emerging Adults and COVID-19: The Role of Individualism-Collectivism on Perceived Risks and Psychological Maladjustment
- PMID: 32429536
- PMCID: PMC7277425
- DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17103497
Emerging Adults and COVID-19: The Role of Individualism-Collectivism on Perceived Risks and Psychological Maladjustment
Abstract
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically changed our habits and routines. Uncertainty, insecurity, instability for the present and future, and reduced autonomy and self-directedness, are common feelings at the time of COVID-19. These aspects are very important during emerging adulthood. In spite of the fact that medical reports suggest that youth are less prone to experience COVID-19 infections, emerging adults might be at higher risk for their psychological adjustment. Emerging adults showed higher concerns about their role as a possible asymptomatic carrier than being positive with COVID-19 themselves. Both worries and concerns about COVID-19 and psychological maladjustment may be related to cultural factors. Individualism, collectivism, equality, and hierarchy seem to be meaningful perspectives to take into account. A total of 1183 Italian emerging adults were asked to fill out an online survey during the second week of the national lockdown in Italy. Results showed they reported an accurate perceived knowledge about COVID-19. At the same time, they showed higher worries and concerns about COVID-19 for their relatives, followed by more general/social worries. The lowest score included worries about COVID-19 related to themselves. State anxiety and stress levels were above the normal cutoff, confirming the challenges that emerging adults are facing during the pandemic. On one hand, emerging adults' collectivistic orientation was related to higher perceived risks of infection; on the other hand, it predicted lower psychological maladjustment, controlling for socio-demographic variables. The study suggests that to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and decrease levels of psychological maladjustment in emerging adulthood, individuals' cultural orientation such as the wish of sharing common goals with others, interdependence, and sociability, have to be emphasized and promoted as protective factors.
Keywords: anxiety; emerging adulthood; lockdown; stress; youth.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Similar articles
-
Knowledge, Concerns, and Behaviors of Individuals During the First Week of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Italy.JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e2015821. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.15821. JAMA Netw Open. 2020. PMID: 32706385 Free PMC article.
-
Epidemiological Aspects and Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Dental Practitioners in the Northern Italy Districts of Modena and Reggio Emilia.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 15;17(10):3459. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17103459. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020. PMID: 32429193 Free PMC article.
-
Effects of Internet Hospital Consultations on Psychological Burdens and Disease Knowledge During the Early Outbreak of COVID-19 in China: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.J Med Internet Res. 2020 Aug 4;22(8):e19551. doi: 10.2196/19551. J Med Internet Res. 2020. PMID: 32687061 Free PMC article.
-
The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the general population of Saudi Arabia.Compr Psychiatry. 2020 Oct;102:152192. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2020.152192. Epub 2020 Jul 12. Compr Psychiatry. 2020. PMID: 32688022 Free PMC article.
-
Narrative synthesis of psychological and coping responses towards emerging infectious disease outbreaks in the general population: practical considerations for the COVID-19 pandemic.Singapore Med J. 2020 Jul;61(7):350-356. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2020046. Epub 2020 Apr 3. Singapore Med J. 2020. PMID: 32241071 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Ethnic-Racial Identity and Attitude Change: Assessments of Outgroup and Diversity Attitudes among Adolescents in Sweden.J Youth Adolesc. 2024 Jun 4. doi: 10.1007/s10964-024-02024-4. Online ahead of print. J Youth Adolesc. 2024. PMID: 38833035
-
Grief and mourning in Covid-19 pandemic and delayed business as a new concept.Cult Psychol. 2023 Mar;29(1):3-26. doi: 10.1177/1354067X221118921. Epub 2022 Aug 12. Cult Psychol. 2023. PMID: 38603160 Free PMC article.
-
Culture, politics and being more equal than others in COVID-19: some psychological anthropology perspectives.S Afr J Psychol. 2021 Jun;51(2):325-335. doi: 10.1177/00812463211012646. S Afr J Psychol. 2021. PMID: 38603031 Free PMC article.
-
The paradox of pandemic mitigation? Moderating role of pandemic severity on the impact of social distancing policies: a cultural value perspective.Global Health. 2024 Feb 9;20(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12992-024-01018-y. Global Health. 2024. PMID: 38331903 Free PMC article.
-
Elevated depression and anxiety predict future patterns of individualistic and collectivistic cultural values: A cross-lagged longitudinal network analysis.J Affect Disord. 2024 Mar 15;349:310-320. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.12.083. Epub 2024 Jan 4. J Affect Disord. 2024. PMID: 38181844 Free PMC article.
References
-
- World Health Organization Coronavirus Disease 2019. [(accessed on 3 April 2020)]; Available online: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical