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. 2023 Mar 12;20(6):5010.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20065010.

Vulnerability and Agency in the Time of COVID-19: The Narratives of Child and Youth Care Workers in South Africa

Andile Samkele Masuku  1 , Reggiswindis Thobile Hlengwa  2 , Lindelwa Vernon Mkhize  3 , Maureen Nokuthula Sibiya  4
Affiliations

Vulnerability and Agency in the Time of COVID-19: The Narratives of Child and Youth Care Workers in South Africa

Andile Samkele Masuku et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

In this paper, we use data generated through one-on-one interviews with 12 purposively sampled Child and Youth Care Workers to examine their narratives of work and life-related vulnerabilities and agency during the peak of the COVID-19 global pandemic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Our findings show that Child and Youth Care Workers were vulnerable to poor mental health. Indeed, working and socialising during the height of COVID-19 posed a mental toll on the Child and Youth Care Workers in this study, who experienced fear, uncertainty, anxiety and stress. Moreover, these workers faced challenges with working under the so-called new normal, which was instituted as part of a non-pharmaceutical response to slow and curb the spread of COVID-19. Finally, our findings show that Child and Youth Care Workers actively identified and applied specific emotionally-focused and physically-focused coping mechanisms to deal with the burden brought on by the pandemic. The study has implications for CYCWs working during crisis periods.

Keywords: COVID-19; agency; child and youth care workers; mental health; vulnerability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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