Adolescents and Covid-19 pandemic: Stress, resilience and growth experiences. Understanding development in a multi-system perspective

In the context of the challenges prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s interesting to focus the attention on the psychological, cognitive and emotional, consequences that the experience may have left on a complex evolutionary stage characterized by multiple development tasks such as adolescence; growing up during the pandemic represents a major challenge for young people today. The paper aims to outline the pathways of adaptation to pandemic-related stress in adolescents, highlighting how the trajectories experienced by adolescents are heterogeneous and include not only negative consequences but also steps of adaptive functioning, understood in terms of stress resilience processes and even post-traumatic growth. The reflection is carried out through a multi-systemic perspective, which considers the complex relationship between the different systems with which young people interact daily. The analysis of the literature shows how well-functioning single systems are, in particular the family system, and how the optimal interconnection between them can positively influence young people’s ability to cope with complex situations. In addition, the way in which the challenges that arise in life can also act as a stimulus to trigger a positive individual transformation process will be shown. As a matter of fact, this process of post traumatic growth interacts with the typical development process, promoting it. Finally, the ultimate aim of this article is to stimulate Psychology to analyse the possible interventions that need to be implemented, not only focusing on negative outcomes or on how to prevent or avoid them, but also on the positive consequences that can be exploited.