Журнал психологии и психотерапии
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Analysis of Anxiety vs. Empathy Readiness among High School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Montenegro

Biljana Amidovic

Introduction: The basic aim in this research paper is to examine core psychological constructs such as anxiety and empathy, among adolescents, all in correlation with the influence of the global pandemic COVID-19. The focus is also in examining differences in anxiety and empathy in correlation with socio demographic variables and personal experiences with COVID-19.

Material and Methods: The research is systematically nonexperimental and was conducted with the help of specially structured survey questionnaire. 252 respondents participated in the research process.

Results: This survey found a fairly high level of anxiety, where the median value was 2.75, an increase from previous research that used the same scale, where the arithmetic average value was 2.02. Empathy has risen slightly compared to previous EMI surveys with the same questionnaire, so the median value is 3.94, which is generally a very high level of empathy. Comparative analysis has shown that there are remarkable distinctions in both variables compared to the sex of respondents, where women are significantly more anxious and empathic. Significant differences in anxiety manifest themselves in relation to economic status, where the less wealthy are significantly more anxious. Striking but not significant differences in anxiety exist in the context of marital status of the respondents' parents and experience with COVID-19, where the most anxious are the children of divorced parents and those who did not have COVID-19, but experienced it in the family environment, through infections of their loved ones.

Conclusion: The basic conclusion of the research may be that the global pandemic has changed the collective psychological profile. The pandemic has affected the perceptible increase in anxiety and a slight increase in empathy. Comparative analysis has shown that vulnerable categories are more susceptible to change, and therefore adolescents are adequate target group for practical work in the field in order to strengthen mental health.