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
Perceived stress among university students in south-east Serbia during the COVID-19 outbreak