Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus the mental health of the student population. The study aimed to analyze the psychological response to the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of perceived stress and its related factors among university students in south-east Serbia. The study was conducted during the increased incidence of COVID-19 in Serbia. Method A total of 434 students from the public university in south-east Serbia enrolled in the study and completed the measures of socio-demographic data, the perceived stress scale (PSS-10), the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Study findings suggest that the mean perceived stress score was placed to 20.43 (± 7.67). Our model showed that female gender, higher scores on anxiety/insomnia and depression subscale as well as the coping strategy avoidance predicted higher perceived stress, while higher scores on social dysfunction were related to the reduced perceived stress scores. Conclusion Notwithstanding the study limitation, findings provided authentic data of stress reactions of the students in south-east Serbia during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings confirm the need to examine students' experiences in emergencies and crises, as well as to make a plan for online stress management programs that would help alleviate stress during a global pandemic.
Background and Objectives: Catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) are important antioxidant enzymes that break down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in order to control its intracellular concentration, thus enabling its physiological role and preventing toxic effects. A lack or disruption of their function leads to the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and the occurrence of oxidative stress. Accumulating studies have shown that the activities of key antioxidant enzymes are impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Since the published results are contradictory, and our previous studies found significantly higher erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in patients with schizophrenia, the aim of this study was to determine the activity of enzymes that degrade hydrogen peroxide in the same group of patients, as well as to examine their dependence on clinical symptoms, therapy, and parameters associated with this disease. Materials and Methods: Catalase and GPx activities were determined in the erythrocytes of 68 inpatients with schizophrenia and 59 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. The clinical assessment of patients was performed by using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The catalase activity was measured by the kinetic spectrophotometric method, while the GPx activity was determined by the commercially available Ransel test. Results: Erythrocyte catalase and GPx activities were significantly lower (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) in subjects with schizophrenia than they were in healthy individuals. Lower catalase activity does not depend on heredity, disease onset, the number of episodes, or disease duration, while GPx activity showed significant changes in patients who had more than one episode and in those who had been suffering from the disease for over a year. Significantly lower catalase activity was noted in the PANSS(+/−) group in comparison with the PANSS(+) and PANSS(−) groups. The lowest catalase activity was found in subjects who were simultaneously treated with first- and second-generation antipsychotics; this was significantly lower than it was in those who received only one class of antipsychotics. Conclusion: These results indicate the presence of oxidative stress in the first years of clinically manifested schizophrenia and its dependence on the number of psychotic episodes, illness duration, predominant symptomatology, and antipsychotic medication.
Attitude is defined as acquired disposition, readiness for a certain way of perception, thinking, emotional reacting and behaving. The formation of social attitudes is greatly in influence by a group (alcoholics group). Drinking alcohol also disrupts higher cognitive processes: abstraction, conceptualization, problem solving and influences on different opinions.Our research concerned the impact of chronic alcohol use and membership to alcoholic group as a framework that influences attitudes towards sexuality. 200 persons were sample in this research: 100 alcohol addicts and 100 persons of the control group. The instrument used in this study was-Scale of attitudes toward sex.Statistically significant difference was found in five attitudes:–Differences in two paragraphs point to some homosexual orientation. We can confidently say that this is a “latent homosexuality in an alcoholic”, it is possible that the difference arises because of the presence of homosexuals in the group of alcoholics, although the subjects did not say to have such orientation.–Some conservatism is present in the attitude drinkers to sexuality of the young, they argue that sexual experience can wait until more mature years.–Extramarital relationships are positively evaluated by the control group, while alcoholics show greater disapproval.–Alcoholics have the attitude that sexual arousal does not come with ease, unlike the control group.–They are more liberal about the social situation of people with HIV (a certain degree of identification with an estimated negative social group).Results showed small difference in attitudes between alcoholics and nonalcoholic.
Resilience can be defined as adaptability to change and capacity for successful adaptation, despite challenges and difficult circumstances. Every day a large number of children experience violence, which takes many forms and occurs in different contexts. It is first necessary to distinguish whether the child was directly abused by the parents or the environment or was just present with violence. It is also necessary to pay attention to the age of the child, his level of development, and understanding of violence. These are some of the factors that can affect the consequences in the future. The chapter will explore theoretical and practical aspects on the topic of risks and resilience associated with violence in the family and the environment. The chapter will also present models of resilience, as well as research conducted, which aims to reduce the level of violence against children.
Whether alternative penalties served by offenders in the community will be successful can also largely depend on the general attitudes in the workplace where the offender will be serving his penalty. This study, conducted in Belgrade, Serbia, was aimed to determine the inclination and factor structure of attitudes towards offenders and ex-offenders, and their correlation with the respondents' age and education. The sample consisted of men from the general population (N=78), employed in companies where offenders serve community sentence. The study also considers the association between attitudes and the age and education of the respondents. The Scale for Attitudes toward Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners was used in the study. Research results showed that the respondents in general had positive attitude toward offenders. On the Scale of Attitudes, a statement "I would socialize with a person who is on parole from prison" had the highest frequency, with which 44.90% of respondents "mostly agree" (MOD=4). With most negatively formulated statements, the frequency of statements "I strongly agree" is low, ranging from 7,70% to 15.60%. Factor analysis of the attitude scale indicated three respectable factors which were named: Rejection, Trust, and Perception of Penalty. The correlation between the demographic variables of age and education, and the expressed attitudes shows there was no significant correlation (p=0.93; p=0.86). The findings of the study have an important impact on practical psychosocial issues, such as that of preparing the community to accept offenders serving alternative punishments, as well as theoretical questions regarding the understanding of the structure, cause, origin, function, and form of attitudes toward offenders.
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