Non-compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures among young adults: Insights from a longitudinal cohort study

Background: Do young adults have low compliance rates with public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? This paper leverages a prospective-longitudinal cohort study with data before and during the pandemic to examine this question.Methods: Data came from an ongoing cohort study (n=737). Non-compliance with public health measures and concurrent correlates were measured at age 22. Antecedent sociodemographic, social, and psychological factors were measured at ages 15-20.Findings: Young adults generally complied with COVID-19 public health measures, although compliance with some measures (e.g., cleaning/disinfecting mobile phones, standing 1.5-2 meters apart) was relatively lower. Non-compliance, especially with hygiene-related measures, was more prevalent in males, and in individuals with higher education, higher SES, and a non- migrant background. Non-compliance was associated with “antisocial potential,” including pre-pandemic low acceptance of moral rules, legal cynicism, low shame/guilt, low self-control, engagement in delinquent behaviors, and association with delinquent peers. Young adults with low trust, including in the government’s measures for fighting the virus, also complied less.Interpretation: In order to increase voluntary compliance with COVID-19 measures, public health campaigns should implement strategies that foster moral obligation and trust in authorities, or leverage trustworthy individuals in the community to disseminate information. For young adults with low self-control, self-monitoring, environmental restructuring, or nudging may increase compliance. Long-term investments into integrating antisocial youth into society may decrease rule-breaking behaviors, including during pandemics when compliance saves lives.

Understanding Antisocial Behavior

The referent for social behavior shifts in this chapter to antisocial behavior and how to account for it. Most offenders, from petty pranksters to ideological terrorists, fail (except for self-serving purposes) to take the perspectives of their victims. Social perspective-taking limitations pervade the “three Ds” of antisocial youth: moral developmental delay, self-serving cognitive distortions, and social skills deficiencies. The latter variables are needed to supplement Kohlberg’s and Hoffman’s emphasis on developmental delay if we are adequately to account for antisocial behavior. The chapter concludes with the powerful illustrative case of Timothy McVeigh. This case makes particularly clear how cognitive distortions can insulate a self-centered worldview (itself a primary distortion, linked to feeling superior or inadequately respected); that is, self-serving distortions can preempt or neutralize social perspective-taking, moral understanding, and veridical empathy.

Callous-unemotional traits and the attentional bias towards emotional stimuli: Testing the moderating role of emotional and behavioural problems among high-risk adolescents

Former studies demonstrated that antisocial youth with callous-unemotional (CU) traits are impaired in the processing of negative emotional stimuli. The aim of the current study was to explore the moderating role of different behavioural (i.e. conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention) and emotional problems (i.e. internalizing symptoms) in the relationship between CU traits and attentional bias towards emotional stimuli. Besides using self-report measures, attentional bias was tested by an affective dot-probe task in a high-risk sample of 102 adolescent boys ( M age = 16.34 years; SD = 1.32). CU traits were related to reduced attention to emotionally distressing pictures. Furthermore, conduct problems significantly moderated the relationship between CU traits and attention to distress cues. These findings highlight the importance of considering potential moderators to the well-established link between CU traits and deficits in response to negative emotional cues.

IMPULSIVIDAD Y BÚSQUEDA DE SENSACIONES: IMPLICACIONES DE INTERVENCIÓN EN JÓVENES

IMPULSIVENESS AND SENSATION SEEKING: IMPLICATIONS OF INTERVENTION IN YOUTHImpulsiveness and sensation seeking are essential elements in psychological studies interested in contributing to health and well-being of people because they are related to unhealthy behaviors (addictive, disruptive and antisocial). Youth is a stage characterized by a higher frequency of dangerous and impulsive behaviours, especially in highly emotive social events, which favours the increase of these unhealthy behaviours. To test this correlation, we consider: a) explorer the relationship between impulsiveness and sensation seeking; b) analyze gender differences; and c) know the specific dimensions of sensation seeking that have a higher predictive relationship with impulsiveness globally considered and, as well as its dimensions. A sample of 100 university students (52% female and 48% male) with mean age of 21.06 years (SD= 2.19). Outcomes show a statistically significant and positive correlation between the dimensions of Impulsiveness (BIS-11, Barrat, 1985; Spanish version by Oquendo, Baca-García, Graver, Morales, Montalvan & Mann, 2001) and Sensation Seeking (SSS, Zuckerman, Eysenck & Eysenck, 1978, validated by Tous, 1984). Although, the regression analyzes identify Disinhibition as the only dimension of Sensation Seeking with predictive relationship on all dimensions of Impulsiveness. Not finding differences due to gender, we emphasize the importance of including Disinhibition in the impulsiveness intervention programs in young people. Thus, we propose the development of emotional competencies to promote healthier and adaptive behaviours.Keywords: Impulsiveness, Sensation Seeking, Healthy Behaviours, Emotional competencies, Emotional regulationResumen.La impulsividad y la búsqueda de sensaciones son elementos esenciales en los estudios psicológicos interesados en contribuir a la salud y bienestar de las personas ya que se encuentran relacionados con conductas poco saludables (adictivas, disruptivas y antisociales). La juventud es una etapa que se caracteriza por una mayor frecuencia de comportamientos arriesgados e impulsivos, sobre todo en situaciones sociales cargadas emocionalmente, lo que favorece el aumento de estas conductas poco saludables. A fin de contrastar esta correlación, nos planteamos: a) profundizar en la relación entre impulsividad y búsqueda de sensaciones; b) analizar si existen diferencias de género; y c) discriminar las dimensiones específicas de la búsqueda de sensaciones que tiene mayor capacidad predictiva sobre la impulsividad globalmente considerada, así como sobre cada una de sus dimensiones. Para ello, se realiza un estudio expo-facto con una muestra de 100 universitarios (52% mujeres y 48% hombres) con una edad media de 21,06 años (SD. 2,19). Los resultados muestran una correlación estadísticamente significativa y positiva entre las dimensiones de la Impulsividad (BIS-11, Barrat, 1985; versión española de Oquendo, Baca-García, Graver, Morales, Montalvan & Mann, 2001) y Búsqueda de sensaciones (SSS, Zuckerman, Eysenck & Eysenck, 1978, validada por Tous, 1984), ). Si bien los análisis de regresión efectuados identifican a la desinhibición como única dimensión de la búsqueda de sensaciones con capacidad predictiva sobre todas las dimensiones de la Impulsividad. Sin encontrarse diferencias debido al género, enfatizamos la importancia de incluir la desinhibición en los programas de intervención de la impulsividad en jóvenes y proponemos el desarrollo de las competencias emocionales para potenciar conductas más saludables y adaptativas.Palabras claves: Impulsividad, Búsqueda de Sensaciones, Conductas saludables, Competencias emocionales, Regulación emocional