The economic crisis is felt the most by young Poles - the stress associated with it affects the majority of students surveyed by psychologists from the Jagiellonian University. As many as 65 percent of young people are struggling with the effects of cumulative stress resulting from many crises occurring at the same time.
In recent years, societies have been struggling with many parallel crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, climate change. All of them contribute to the economic crisis by increasing inflation, causing instability of the real estate market and the labour market. The coexistence of these socio-economic tensions with political and demographic ones is referred to as a polycrisis.
The stress associated with it, like any stress, can affect cortisol levels and cognitive functioning in some people, often leading to depression or anxiety disorders.
'People from marginalized groups, experiencing poverty, social exclusion or discrimination, as well as children, adolescents and young people entering adulthood are particularly sensitive to the negative impact of polycrisis', says Professor Bernadetta Izydorczyk from the Institute of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University.
The negative effects of polycrisis experienced by young people entering adulthood may be exacerbated by certain personality traits and emotion regulation disorders. However, the exact factors that increase the effects on the mental health and well-being of young people in polycrisis remain unknown. Meanwhile, such knowledge would enable prevention, diagnosis and designing effective interventions tailored to specific groups.
As part of the Behaviour in Crisis Lab, a team of female psychologists, researchers from the Jagiellonian University, took up the topic of mutual connections between stress accumulated in a polycrisis situation and the mental condition of young Poles on the threshold of adulthood. The consequences of four crises were taken into account: the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak of war in Ukraine and participation in related events, the economic crisis, and the climate crisis. The results were published in the journal Social Indicators Research.
The study participants were 403 young Poles who took their high school final exams in 2020-2021. The researchers examined their attitudes towards the polycrisis and the level of stress it caused. They analysed how young people assessed their well-being, whether they experienced problems with emotion regulation and whether the experience of cumulative stress was associated with the personality traits they showed - and if so, to what extent.
'Of the four analysed crises that make up the polycrisis spectrum, the economic crisis seems to be particularly painful for young people. All the young people we surveyed felt stress related to it, which is consistent with other studies suggesting that achieving financial stability is an adulthood milestone in Western societies', comments the first author of the study, Professor Bernadetta Izydorczyk.
Over 65 percent of young Poles admitted that they felt stress related to the war in Ukraine. Around 20% of respondents reported that they felt stress related to COVID-19. For some young people, the COVID-19 pandemic was even associated with positive changes in their everyday lives, for example, it gave them more time for simple pleasures and generated greater savings.
The researchers also observed that young people experienced the polycrisis in different ways. The study distinguished three separate groups of young adults based on which crises stressed them the most, and the psychological characteristics and level of well-being they exhibited.
The first group, defined as not affected by the polycrisis, included 144 people, or around 35% of respondents. The respondents classified in this category associated the difficulties they experienced mainly with the economic crisis. They did not feel stress related to the COVID 19 and ecological crises, and the war in Ukraine did not trigger such a reaction in them either. They had the highest level of ability to regulate emotions and the best well-being score. They also reported higher levels of mental and physical health, life satisfaction, and happiness. They were the least likely to report symptoms of depression.
Group two, consisting of 171 people, was affected by a polycrisis, with the exception of the COVID-19 crisis. The respondents from this group declared that they felt stress related to the economic crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the ecological crisis, but not the pandemic. These people showed the greatest difficulties in controlling emotions and in implementing goal-oriented behaviours, which is a sign of poor coping with emotions.
The smallest third group included 88 people. It was defined as affected by polycrisis. The respondents qualified for it declared that they felt stress in connection with all the crises included in the study, with the most pronounced effects being COVID 19 and the economic crisis. The respondents from this group had rigid standards of action resulting from unhealthy perfectionism, and strong opinions about what is right and what is wrong.
'The traits that influence emotion regulation and reactivity to stress are crucial when identifying risk groups and designing preventive measures. It is important to support young adults, help them transform stress into proactive actions and develop coping strategies that respond to the demands of reality', concludes Professor Bernadetta Izydorczyk.
Ewelina Krajczyńska-Wujec (PAP)
PAP - Science in Poland
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