Burdens of Apprentices Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and How They Deal with Them: A Qualitative Study Using Content Analysis One-Year Post-Breakout

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a variety of burdens for apprentices and, as a result, in a need for resources to deal with them. The present study examined answers to two open-ended questions, which were part of a larger online survey about the burdens and resources during the pandemic from 1442 Austrian apprentices. Data collection took place from 29 March to 18 May 2021. The answers were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and revealed that most apprentices were burdened by pandemic-related restrictions and rules, the impairment of their social life, and in their mental health. In terms of resources, they mostly fell back on their social contacts, especially their friends. Besides their social life, many apprentices also used personal attitudes, leisure activities, and distractions to deal with their stresses. The study sheds light on some of the background reasons for the high psychological distress among apprentices. In order to better support young people in coping with stress, it is recommended to expand preventive and educational mental health measures targeted at apprentices, to facilitate access to low-threshold psychosocial services for young people, and improve financial support for the receipt of these.

Mental Health, Alcohol Use, Workplace Bullying and Attitude toward Mental Health Help-Seeking in French Apprentices

“…from their general practitioner) is contradictory with previous findings (Haider et al, 2022) showing only around 3% of apprentices reported they actually consulted professional help, suggesting an intention-behaviour gap in seeking mental help (Tomczyk et al, 2020).…”

“…In terms of resources, apprentices mostly seek help from their friends and family, but an important proportion reported they would also seek help from mental health professionals whereas workplace was not considered as a setting where to find help. This finding confirmed previous studies showing young people are more likely to seek help from their friends and for psychological and emotional problems than from other sources (Haider et al, 2022;. The proportion of apprentices reporting they would seek professional help (i.e.…”

“…Indeed, findings show mental health awareness campaigns can increase mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and improve help-seeking behavior (Henderson et al, 2017;Morgan et al, 2018). Given that peers are the first resource for young apprentices (Haider et al (2022); the present study) such mental health awareness programs should focus on the development of the competences to support a friend struggling with his mental health (e.g., "be there", https://bethere.org/Home) among young volunteers and work peers apprentices and anti-stigma and mental health promotion campaigns should be led by young people themselves (e.g., https://jack.org/Home).…”

“…The Covid-19 pandemic has been doubly challenged for apprentices as they have had to cope with changes both at work and at vocational school (Haider et al, 2022). Two recent studies on the mental health of Austrian apprentices of different work sectors during the Covid-19 period revealed 48% were over the cut-off for clinically relevant depressive symptoms, 35% for anxiety, 50% for disordered eating, and 27% for insomnia (Dale et al, 2021) and 13% experienced problematic drinking (O'Rourke et al, 2022b).…”

An Assessment of Austrian School Students’ Mental Health and Their Wish for Support: A Mixed Methods Approach

“…In Austria, mental health decreases were particularly apparent among young people as well [ 11 , 13 ]. Qualitative studies of Austrian school students and apprentices reported that young people suffered most from school-related concerns as well as from the pandemic-related restrictions and regulations, and limitations on their social contacts, while precisely those social contacts were perceived as the most important resources during the pandemic [ 17 , 18 ].…”