{"id":123635,"date":"2021-03-01T16:16:14","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T15:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=123635"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:26","slug":"corona-science-these-researchers-help-young-people-get-a-better-understanding-of-their-emotional-well-being-by-means-of-an-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/03\/01\/corona-science-these-researchers-help-young-people-get-a-better-understanding-of-their-emotional-well-being-by-means-of-an-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Corona science: These researchers help young people get a better understanding of their emotional well-being by means of an app"},"content":{"rendered":"

Young people may not be quite as susceptible to the coronavirus, but the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus are hitting them particularly hard. GZ psychologist Jeroen Legerstee and Evelien Dietvorst, who is doing a PhD at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry unit of the Erasmus MC, are part of the research team that came up with the Grow It!<\/em> App, in which capacity they are seeking to get a better understanding of young people\u2019s emotions and behaviour. A few thousand of young people have voluntarily downloaded the app since the start of the pandemic, and it is giving them some much-needed support.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What is the Grow It! app?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Legerstee: \u201cThe app was originally invented by two professors, Manon Hillegers\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n<\/svg>\n\n\t<\/button>\n<\/span>\n and Loes Keijsers\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n<\/svg>\n\n\t<\/button>\n<\/span>\n, and serves to give us a better understanding of young people\u2019s emotions and behaviour in daily life. It will allow us to more quickly identify those young people who are having a difficult time of it emotionally, contact them and offer them treatment if necessary. The app is also designed to give young people some support, particularly now, during the coronavirus crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why does this study specifically focus on young people?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dietvorst: \u201cThe restrictions that are vital to curb the spread of the coronavirus are antithetical to what young people need in order to be able to develop in a healthy manner. To young people, the opinions held by their peers always matter more than, say, their parents\u2019 opinions. Young people fall in love for the first time, build lifelong friendships, learn how to deal with stressful situations and become increasingly autonomous, which will prepare them for adult life. And now we\u2019re robbing them of many of these learning experiences by imposing restrictions, which may have a rather harmful effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legerstee: \u201cAnd we have found that the coronavirus crisis is causing young people to be less happy and satisfied, particularly during the current lockdown. They feel lonelier and are more worried. They are being taught online and hardly ever get to see their lecturers and fellow students in person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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