PSIHOLOŠKI I SOCIOLOŠKI IZAZOVI PANDEMIJE IZ PERCEPCIJE PREDŠKOLSKIH ODGAJATELJA
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC FROM THE PRESCHOOL EDUCATORS' POINT OF VIEW

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explore mental health challenges (operationally defined primarily through the DASS questionnaire – depression, anxiety and stress), but also the social aspect of individual stability due to the pandemic among educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking into account the fact that kindergartens did not work, that some educators lost their jobs, and that going back to kindergartens under new circumstances was difficult for both children and educators. The sample included educators from Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar and the surrounding smaller cities, i.e., 111 participants in total. The instrument comprised three parts: sociodemographic variables (gender, educational level, type of employment contract, type of institution), social variables (economic, labor law and social status) and psychological variables (DASS questionnaire consisting of 42 items and a few questions for a qualitative analysis). The results indicate that almost 2% of the educators lost their jobs, 8% were referred to the Employment Agency, 18% temporarily lost their job, which means that in total 28% of them experienced job instability due to the pandemic. The pandemic has also somewhat affected the amount of monthly income among a half of the participants. On the other hand, even 40% of the educators stated that the attitude of parents towards them changed significantly, parents appreciating more the job of an educator. Furthermore, the educators claimed they took it hard when kindergartens were reopened and when they had to go back to work under special epidemiological conditions. In terms of fear, they emphasized the fear of transmitting the COVID infection to the elderly, and children being confined to homes, while the minority felt fear of being infected by COVID. The quality of life changed since they missed physical contact with the loved ones, as well as visits and travelling. A quarter of the participants scored high on the scales of depression, anxiety and stress. The regression analysis model involving the sociodemographic variables of gender, age, working experience, educational level, kindergarten type, type of employment contract, and even social support, did not prove to be significant predictors of educators’ mental health.

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