Aim The Covid-19 pandemic may be associated with an increase in mental disorders and mental distress. However, there are no representative studies testing the impact of stressors directly related to Covid-19. We aimed to determine whether Covid-19-related stressors were associated with mental disorders, depressive and anxiety symptoms in the second year of the pandemic. Method This cross-sectional observational epidemiological survey was conducted from June to October 2021. We interviewed a representative sample of the adult population in Serbia (18–65 years) in the second year of the pandemic, at a time when large parts of the population had been affected by the pandemic in different ways. A multistage probabilistic household sampling of the adult population in 60 municipalities was used. Mental disorders were assessed by in-person interviews using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. Covid-19-related stressors (Sars-CoV-2 infection, the infection of a close relative, self-isolation and lack of protective equipment at work), as well as other stressors during the pandemic (not directly related to the risk of the infection), were measured. The associations with mental disorders, depressive and anxiety symptoms were explored through univariable and multivariable regression analyses. Results In total, 1203 individuals (mean age 43.7 ± 13.6 years, 48.7% male) were interviewed. Most respondents (67.8%) of the sample had already experienced Covid-19-related stressors (20.1% had Sars-CoV-2 infection; 43.2% had a close relative member who had Covid-19; 28.2% reported lack of appropriate protection; 27.5% had been quarantined) and about 50% had already been vaccinated. The prevalence of any mental disorder was 15.2% (95% CI 13.2–17.2): mood disorders 4.6%, anxiety disorders 4.3% and substance use disorders 8.0%. Mean PHQ-9 was 3.2 ± 3.8 and GAD-7 was 2.1 ± 3.1. In this study, one Covid-19 stressor, i.e. lack of protective equipment, was weakly associated with a greater frequency of anxiety disorders (p = 0.023), while the other stressors had significant associations with several groups of mental disorders and symptom levels. Conclusions Our study did not provide any evidence that the prevalence of mental disorders exceeds the range of pre-pandemic data reported in the literature. Covid-related stressors, although frequently reported, did not dramatically influence the prevalence of mental disorders. The provision of the appropriate equipment at workplaces might lead to the reduction of anxiety disorders.
Theoretical and empirical insight notes that cyber security awareness is a topic of particular interest in cyber security. Humans are the central figures in cyber security and the way to reduce risk in cyberspace is to make people more security aware. While there have been numerous studies about various aspects of cyber security awareness, they are both inconsistent and environment-dependent. The main aim of our research is to analyze cyber security awareness in depth, and to try to discover how various factors such as socio-demographics, cyber security perceptions, previous cyber security breaches, IT usage, and knowledge may individually or together impact on cyber security behavior. To prove that we conducted our research on students, as they are the most technologically active part of the society. We discovered that knowledge proved to be the dominant factor for cyber security awareness, and although students are digital natives, they do not feel safe in the cyber environment; they do not behave securely and do not have adequate knowledge to protect themselves in cyberspace.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop as a serious long-term consequence of traumatic experiences, even many years after trauma exposure. The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence of lifetime and current PTSD as well as to detect the most stressful life events and sociodemographic risk factors of PTSD in a general adult Serbian population. The sample consisted of 640 subjects chosen by random walk technique in five regions of the country. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5 revealed an 18.8% prevalence rate of current PTSD and a 32.3% prevalence rate of lifetime PTSD. According to the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised, the bombardment, being expelled from home, siege, and participation in combat were the stressful events most likely to be associated with PTSD. The prevalence of PTSD increased among widows and widowers, divorced persons, unemployed persons, and retired persons. The high level of PTSD a few years after the trauma exposure classifies as a significant health problem that can cause serious consequences for families and the community as a whole.
Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) serves both inhabitants' and visitors' numerous and various needs. This research aimed to enhance knowledge regarding the role of UGI in urban tourism. The research questions addressed tourists' perceptions of UGI, their understanding and uses of UGI, and the ways that this understanding influenced their travel choice to specific urban destinations. A cross-cultural comparative study among urban tourists was carried out in eight European countries. The selection of case studies followed a roughly comparative logic, employing the same on-site questionnaire survey administered in a sample of large and medium size cities in Southern European, Central European and Northern European countries. Looking from the perspective of the tourists' countries of origin, our findings validate a well-established trend in international tourism, namely the fact that neighbouring countries tend to be the most significant tourist markets of an urban destination. The other major finding confirmed the most well-known tourist movement patterns of Northern and Central Europeans travelling to the Mediterranean for tourism purposes. While the study revealed that the majority of the tourists interviewed were not very familiar with the term 'Green Infrastructure', nor with specific UGI features offered in the visited cities, the importance of UGI was acknowledged and viewed in a mostly very positive light. The majority of respondents enjoyed visiting UGI and used it for some light physical activity or for purposes of relaxation, socialization, and in order to explore the culture and society of the destination city. The fact that most UGI in the case study cities is located around or within a short distance from important heritage sites provided UGI with an indirect possibility of being included in the tourists' visiting plans. In conclusion, the results of this study may prove to be very helpful to local and regional authorities in considering how to plan, manage and promote an urban tourism destination's green infrastructure as part of the tourism offer.
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