Young people's job-related fears in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a psychological analysis

Abstract

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic calls for studying the psychological characteristics of the activities and behaviors of various population categories, including young people, in order to optimize their lives in the difficult conditions and provide psychological support. The aim of the research was to assess and analyze young people's fears related to professional activities in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The methods used included analysis, generalization and systematization of the theoretical approaches to the phenomenon of fear, the authors' questionnaire "Job-related Fears during the COVID-19 Pandemic", content analysis, as well as statistical data processing. Results. It was found that the majority of Ukrainians aged 25 through 44 experienced high levels of fear, which in general indicated a general neurotic condition of the society. Young people were afraid of financial stability, uncertainty, being infected with the coronavirus directly from colleagues or customers, which developed the state of complete confusion. However, Ukrainians demonstrated resistance and positive motivation as well as the ability to see the resource and new opportunities, even being in a psycho-emotional state of fear. Conclusions: The obtained data may be useful in providing psychological assistance to young people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.