Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Psychological Impact of the Nuclear Threat on the Third World: The Case of Colombia

1986; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 1-3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00207411.1986.11449026

1557-9328

Rubén Ardila,

Risk Perception and Management

A study of the impact of the prospect of nuclear war was conducted in Colombia. The subjects were children and adolescents from upper and lower socioeconomic groups. About half of the youths, and about a quarter of the children, expect a nuclear war in their lifetime. Young people were much more likely than children to believe that they would not survive a nuclear war, and that it was possible to avoid nuclear war. They were also more likely to choose not to survive such a war. Finally, both youth groups and the upper-class children considered the possibility of nuclear war and the economic crisis of Colombia to be equally important problems; only the lower-class children considered the economic problems of Colombia to be more important. The study indicates that, even in a Third World country with no atomic weapons, the children and youth are deeply affected by the possibility of nuclear war.