Quality of life and mental health of volunteers during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey in Serbia.

OBJECTIVE: There is a paucity of information on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on young volunteers. Therefore, the aim of this survey was to examine the QoL and mental health of young volunteers of the Novi Sad Voluntary Service during the COVID-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional prospective study included 255 members of the Novi Sad Voluntary Service, Serbia. The survey instrument probed into the respondents' demographic characteristics and was followed by the anonymous WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire that measured their quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic and DASS-21 scale. All statistical analyses were carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, vers. 24.0. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 255 young volunteers (71.4% females, 28.6% males), 62.0% of whom were aged 18-25 years, and 52.2% were students. Lower Physical Capacity scores could be predicted by female gender (p < 0.01) and COVID-19 infection among friends (p < 0.05). Male gender (p < 0.05) and being employed (p < 0.05) predicted greater QoL in the Psychological domain. The only predictor of a lower QoL in the Social Relationships domain was the internet as the main COVID-19-related information source (p < 0.05). On the other hand, being female (p < 0.05) and having COVID-19-positive household members (p = 0.01) predicted lower environment domain scores. For the lower overall DASS-21 score, having COVID-19-positive household members was the only significant predictor (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Mental health support should pursue strategies to improve all domains of QoL, especially for vulnerable sub-groups of the population, such as young females and the unemployed. Bearing in mind the importance of public engagement and community support in pandemic circumstances, as well as generally in public health, these results are relevant for interventions far beyond the current pandemic.

Structural damage of the hand in hand osteoarthritis: impact on function, pain, and satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: As hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is a highly prevalent disease, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between structural damage of the hand in HOA patients and assess its impact on their hand function, pain, and satisfaction. METHODS: This prospective cross-sectional study included 60 postmenopausal women aged 60-70 years, all of whom underwent structural damage assessments using the Kellgren-Lawrence scale and the Altman Atlas, as well as completed the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) to assess their hand function, pain, and satisfaction. To examine the influence of HOA grade on these outcomes, patients were segregated into three groups (grade II-IV), and their average MHQ subscale scores were compared. RESULTS: The three groups differed in terms of scores achieved on all MHQ subscales: overall hand function-right hand (H =35.42, p <0.001), overall hand function-left hand (H =29.94, p <0.001), activities of daily living-right hand (H =39.88, p <0.001), activities of daily living-left hand (H =33.82, p <0.001), activities of daily living-both hands (H =30.93, p <0.001), activities of daily living-total (H =37.81, p <0.001), work performance (H =32.33, p <0.001), pain-right hand (H =27.94, p <0.001), pain-left hand (H =24.63, p <0.001), appearance-right hand (H =26.28, p <0.001), appearance-left hand (H =23.82, p <0.001), satisfaction-right hand (H =22.40, p =0.001), and satisfaction-left hand (H =26.71, p <0.001). CONCLUSION: The study findings reveal that respondents with more severe structural damage experienced more significant pain, reported greater functional and work-related limitations, and were more dissatisfied with the function and appearance of their hands. HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (1):7-12.