Since its outbreak, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread throughout the world. The Serbian government declared a state of emergency on 15 March 2020, implementing some of Europe’s strictest measures to combat the pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the mental health of the general adult Serbian population and to identify associated factors during the state of emergency and lockdown. Data were collected with a snowball sampling method between 23 March and 25 April 2020, by using an online questionnaire. Multiple ordinal regression was performed to establish the associations between socio-demographic characteristics, self-estimated health status, and depression, anxiety, and stress. Out of 1057 participants included in the study, 28.9%, 36.9%, and 38.1% reported moderate to severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Uneasiness related to COVID-19 news, the feeling of helplessness, likeliness of impending death, and presence of COVID-19 symptoms were associated with higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Current smoking status was associated with a higher risk of depression and stress. Students had a significantly higher level of depression and stress, while older age was protective against anxiety and stress. Higher socioeconomic status was significantly associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.

The aim of this study was to examine whether the capacity for mentalizing and resilience among healthcare workers (HCWs) explains the degree of burnout syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia. The research was conducted on a sample of 406 healthcare workers (141 doctors and 265 nurses), aged 19 to 65 years (M = 40.11, SD = 9.41)—203 worked on the COVID-19 frontline, and 203 in regular clinical conditions. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to measure the burnout syndrome. Capacity for mentalizing was examined using the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire. The Brief Resilience Scale was used to measure resilience. The results indicated that there were negative correlations between resilience and the dimensions of burnout—emotional exhaustion (r = −0.38; p < 0.01) and depersonalization (r = −0.11; p < 0.05), and a positive correlation between resilience and personal accomplishment (r = 0.27; p < 0.01), as was expected. The analyses of hierarchical linear regression showed that hypomentalizing was a significant positive predictor of emotional exhaustion (ß = 0.12; p < 005) and depersonalization (ß = 0.15; p < 0.05), resilience was a significant negative predictor of emotional exhaustion (ß = −0.28, p < 0.01) and positive predictor of personal accomplishment (ß = 0.20; p < 0.01), and that the degree of explained variance of burnout dimensions was higher when resilience and hypomentalizing were included in regression models, in addition to sociodemographic variables. The findings suggest that being a woman and working on the COVID-19 frontline implies a higher burnout, while the level of burnout decreases with better socioeconomic status and more children. Resilience, capacity for mentalizing, and burnout syndrome among HCWs are interrelated phenomena, which have important professional implications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented stress on healthcare professionals worldwide. Since resilience and mentalizing capacity play very important preventive roles when it comes to mental health, the main goal of this study was to determine whether the capacity for mentalizing and resilience could explain the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted in Serbia on a sample of 406 healthcare workers (141 doctors and 265 nurses) aged 19 to 65 (M = 40.11, SD = 9.41). The participants’ mental health status was evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale—DASS-42. The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire was used to evaluate the capacity for mentalizing. Resilience was assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale. The results of the correlation analysis showed that there were negative correlations between resilience and all three dimensions of mental health status: depression, anxiety, and stress. Hypermentalizing was negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress, while hypomentalizing was positively correlated. Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that both resilience and hypermentalizing were significant negative predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress, and that hypomentalizing was a significant positive predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress. Furthermore, socioeconomic status was a significant negative predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress. Marital status, number of children, and work environment were not statistically significant predictors of any of the three dimensions of mental health status among the healthcare workers in this study. There is an urgent need to establish and implement strategies to foster resilience and enhance the capacity for mentalizing among healthcare workers in order to minimize the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic imposed immense stress on healthcare systems worldwide, significantly affecting the mental well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study examined the sociodemographic, occupational, and COVID-19-related predictors of burnout syndrome among Serbian HCWs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 400 doctors and nurses utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Sociodemographic, work-related, and COVID-19-related data were collected via a questionnaire. Results: Key predictors of emotional exhaustion included female gender, inadequate rest, sleep disturbances, and frontline COVID-19 work. Depersonalization was associated with fewer children, temporary employment, and COVID-19 frontline duties. Conversely, older age, religiosity, larger households, and a higher socioeconomic status positively correlated with personal accomplishment. Conclusions: These findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted interventions, including improved working conditions and mental health support, to reduce burnout and enhance HCWs’ well-being during medical crises.

Burnout is one of the phenomena that occurs in situations of increased mental and emotional exhaustion at work, so it is expected that healthcare professionals will experience it more often in a situation of increased stress amid the outbreak of COVID-19. The aim of this national cross-sectional survey study was to examine the levels of burnout and the relationship between burnout syndrome, healthcare workers’ resilience, and different sociodemographic and work-related variables during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Serbia. The sample included 398 healthcare professionals who actively worked with patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. The primary contribution of our study was that we identified moderate to high levels of burnout among healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, psychotherapists, and pharmacists) in Serbia during the COVID-19 outbreak, but also significant negative correlations between these levels of burnout and resilience, as well as statistically significant factors related to burnout such as the number of working hours per day, age, length of service, and profession.

This study presents the development and psychometric validation of a Career Identity Questionnaire for vocational school students aged 15–19 years. Career identity was conceptualized as comprising career exploration and career commitment, based on theories of identity development and career guidance. Two studies were conducted. In Study 1 (N = 188), principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the final structure of the questionnaire. From an initial pool of 20 items, 14 items were retained: 8 items for career exploration and 6 items for career commitment. The two scales were positively correlated (r = 0.48, p < 0.01), with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.78 and 0.88, respectively. In Study 2 (N = 293), convergent and structural validity were examined using correlation analysis, canonical correlation, ANOVA, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The CFA supported a three-factor structure consisting of exploration within the educational profile, exploration outside the educational profile, and career commitment. Career exploration correlated with school satisfaction (r = 0.31), subjective well-being (r = 0.26), and school success (r = 0.14), while career commitment showed stronger associations with the same variables (r = 0.56, 0.27, and 0.15, all p < 0.01). Canonical correlation analysis indicated significant relationships between career identity dimensions and mental health, with the strongest weights observed for career commitment (r_s = −0.96) and career exploration (r_s = −0.60), explaining 14% of the variance in mental health, while mental health explained 23% of the variance in career identity. Students with below-average values of commitment and exploration reported lower school success, satisfaction, and well-being. The findings provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, supporting its use in both research and practice in educational settings.