Age and gender disaggregated data on reports of adverse events following two or three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were obtained from four cross-sectional studies. The first was from reports submitted to the Israel Ministry of Health national adverse events database (for ages 16 and above). The second was from a national cross-sectional survey based on an internet panel (for ages 30 and above), and the third and fourth were from cross-sectional surveys among employees of a large company (for ages 20–65) using links to a self-completed questionnaire. Results: In all studies, the risks of adverse events were higher following the second dose and consistently higher in females at all ages. The increased risk among females at all ages included local events such as pain at the injection site, systemic events such as fever, and sensory events such as paresthesia in the hands and face. For the combined adverse reactions, for the panel survey the female-to-male risk ratios (RRs) were 1.89 for the first vaccine dose and 1.82 for the second dose. In the cross-sectional workplace studies, the female-to-male RRs for the first, second and third doses exceeded 3.0 for adverse events, such as shivering, muscle pain, fatigue and headaches. Conclusions: The consistent excess in adverse events among females for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine indicates the need to assess and report vaccine adverse events by gender. Gender differences in adverse events should be taken into account when determining dosing schedules.

Accessible summaryWhat is known on the subject?• Physical appearance, as in the case of individuals with physical disabilities who use a cane, walker or wheelchair, also influence others' reactions and as a result, may lead to one's negative or positive feelings and thoughts.• A disability that is not observable by others, as in the case of individuals with psychiatric disabilities (mental illnesses), may also have a negative impact on one's feelings and thoughts, due to stigma associated with psychiatric disabilities.• To date, research has mainly focused on the way persons with a noticeable type of disability think about themselves. It is also important to evaluate the impact of disability type on ones' feelings and thoughts, and compare persons with visible and invisible disabilities. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?• We asked 119 adults (over the age of 18 years) with different types of disabilities to complete a set of questionnaires and found that those who had a disability that was not observable by others (a psychiatric disability) felt more negative about themselves and their body than those who had a disability that was observable by others (a physical disability).• The study extends the current knowledge on the impact of disability type and its visibility on the way persons with disabilities think about themselves.What are the implications for practice?• The findings suggest that healthcare services should be modified to address the psychological needs of people with different types of disability.• Mental health nurses should identify practices in the community that will improve the feelings and thoughts of consumers with disabilities, and especially those who cope with a psychiatric disability. AbstractIntroduction: Individuals with disabilities often face stigma and discrimination, which may negatively affect their self-concept. To date, research has mainly focused on the psychological implications of living with a noticeable physical disability. Less attention has been given to individuals with invisible psychiatric disabilities as a stigmatized subgroup in the disability community.Aim: To evaluate the impact of disability type and its visibility on the self-concept and body image. Method:A cross-sectional quantitative study design was implemented to compare the self-concept and body image of individuals with visible physical disabilities and individuals with invisible psychiatric disabilities (n = 119). Pearson correlations, ANOVA and multiple linear regression models were performed.Results: Individuals with invisible psychiatric disabilities reported lower levels of selfconcept and body image compared to individuals with visible physical disabilities.Gender, family status and the severity level of the disability were found to be associated with self-concept and body image.

Walking is a central form of physical activity among older adults that is associated with the physical environment at various scales. This mixed-methods study employs a concurrent nested design to explore objective and perceived environmental characteristics of older adults’ local walking routes. This was achieved by integrating quantitative Geographic Information System (GIS) data with qualitative data obtained using the Stanford Discovery Tool (DT). Fifty-nine community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults (14 men and 45 women aged 50+) were recruited in a snowball approach through community centers in the city of Haifa (Israel). Four neighborhood environment themes were identified: pedestrian infrastructure, access to destinations, aesthetics, and environmental quality. Both geometrical traits (i.e., distance, slope) and urban features (i.e., land-uses, greenery) of the route may impact the experience of walking. The findings thus highlight the importance of micro-scale environmental elements in shaping environmental perceptions, which may consequently influence the choice of being active.

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a newly described mental disorder characterized by extensive mental fantasy activity featuring addiction-like longing for fantasizing, accompanying repetitive movement, and feeling hindered in everyday life. This study describes the first validation of a non-English version of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS) and provides additional evidence for MD as a clinical phenomenon. The Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale-Hebrew version (MDS-H) is an adaptation of the 14-item English MDS (Somer, Lehrfeld, Bigelsen, & Jopp, 2016), a self-report questionnaire developed on the basis of qualitative information provided by self-identified maladaptive daydreamers (MDers). The MDS-H was administered to 280 individuals aged 13 to 73 years, including 45 self-identified MDers. Findings confirmed the expected 3-factorial structure, scalar invariance in comparison to the English MDS validation sample, and good psychometric properties. MDS-H scores were associated with dissociation, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and attentiondeficit/hyperactivity. Given high sensitivity and specificity separating MDers and non-MDers, the MDS-H represents a useful tool to assess MD among Hebrew speakers, suggesting the relevance of MD in a non-English speaking culture, and highlighting the potential value of the MDS for world-wide investigation of this condition.

No abstract