Adjunct Professor at the International University of Valencia, PhD in Clinical Psychology, International University of Valencia
The current health crisis has triggered a massive adaptive effort in almost every country in the world. There have been many recommendations to protect public health, some of which have been very restrictive and difficult to anticipate.
As a result, what is known as "pandemic fatigue" is beginning to be noticed in the population, a problem that seriously worries the scientific community.
This is a concept that refers to the progressive abandonment of health recommendations aimed at containing the spread of the virus, and not to the subjective feeling of tiredness or dejection, as it might seem at first glance.
Adhering to so many guidelines isn't easy , as it represents a significant change in how we've structured our lives up to this point. However, it can be reduced to the confluence of three factors: opportunity, individual ability, and motivation .
It is precisely the last of the factors mentioned, motivation, that is most eroded today . It is no longer uncommon to witness how certain people become overconfident and expose themselves to situations of potential risk to themselves or others, or how they underestimate the health implications of the infection.
It is also a breeding ground for the effervescence of theories that depart from the reality of the facts , and that motivate reactions incompatible with self-care.
Pandemic fatigue is a predictable social phenomenon, known from experience with previous long-term health crises. Even so, it jeopardizes the maintenance of the collective gains achieved during these difficult months.
Therefore, it requires a great deal of attention, as well as a critical and understanding perspective. In this article, we will examine seven potential underlying causes.
1. Individual experience with the disease
The fact of not having personally experienced the disease, not having suffered its rigors or knowing about them through the testimony of a third party, can distort its perceived relevance.
Experiencing the infectious process firsthand is a difficult experience, which has generated a clinically relevant stress response in many people (especially informal caregivers and frontline healthcare professionals).
Conversely, it would also provide a privileged perspective to be aware of its importance and strive to prevent it.
2. Conspiracy theories
The emergence of cryptic explanatory theories, aimed at underestimating the importance of the crisis or attributing sinister intentions to it, fosters greater laxity in the use of health measures .
In the worst case, it implies a frontal response of opposition, which translates into an absolute rejection of following general recommendations (a concept known as "psychological reactance" ).
It is very relevant to consider that such positions have been promoted even by socially prominent figures, achieving widespread dissemination during the last few months.
3. Low perception of risk
Every coping response depends on subjective processes of appraising the situation we face , in interaction with individual characteristics.
It is at this stage of the process that we attribute personal relevance to the events and, therefore, prepare ourselves to deal with them by making use of the available resources.
In cases where the pathogen is not considered threatening or reflection on it is avoided, the likelihood of security measures being evaded increases .
On the other hand, some people may decide to stop their efforts when they consider that maintaining them would have a negative impact on other areas of their lives, such as family or work.
4. Excessive promotion of fear
Primary prevention campaigns that excessively stimulate fear can fail spectacularly in their purposes, as they precipitate a response of denial or avoidance in their target audience .
Such awareness campaigns should promote reasonable and realistic emotions, enabling recipients to make informed and coherent decisions (without a counterproductive outburst of emotion). The presence of fake news may have contributed to this paradoxical phenomenon.
5. Familiarity bias
Maintaining health recommendations for an extended period requires considerable effort and stress. Sometimes we may think they are unnecessary if we only meet with people we trust, leading to an optimistic bias that falsely minimizes the perceived risk of infection .
Thus, these would be situations in which we "let our guard down," giving in to the effects of pandemic fatigue with seemingly innocuous micro-decisions.
6. Feeling of helplessness
Despite the great efforts made by the population, the official data on the spread of the virus remain discouraging.
For some people, this reality can translate into a sense of learned helplessness . In these cases, we can understand that no effort will be enough to improve the situation.
This would increase the likelihood of pandemic fatigue, as well as difficult emotions and pessimism about the future .
7. Lack of trust in public bodies
The emergence of contradictions or abrupt changes in restrictions, as well as a lack of transparency regarding the reasons behind them, often leads many people to stop adhering to them . It is essential that citizens do not forget the purpose of their efforts .
Therefore, clear information, social consensus, and reasonable (and reasoned) political decisions are required in all areas of life.