Psychometric Properties of the Serbian Version of the Operational and Organizational Police Stress Questionnaires

The Police Operational Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Op) and Police Organizational Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-Org) have been used to assess operational and organizational sources of police officers’ occupational stress. Considering that different cultural and socio-economic environments could affect officers’ perception of operational and organizational stress, country specific psychometric properties and cut-off values should be defined. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Serbian version of the PSQ-Op and PSQ-Org (i.e., translated in Serbian and adjusted to Serbian culture) and to establish cut-off values for low, moderate and high stress. Methods: The PSQ-Op and PSQ-Org were administered to police officers through the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia. Participants included 1220 police officers (19.0% female) who correctly completed both questionnaires. Cronbach’s α was used to determine the reliability of instruments. Cut-off values for low, moderate and high stress were defined based on the mean and standard deviation of the sample and using percentile analysis. Prevalence of low, moderate and high stress was calculated according to already established cut-off values as well as those calculated based on the study sample. Results: Both instruments showed high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.963 [95% Confidence Interval = 0.957–0.964]). Occupational stress levels (low, moderate and high) were distributed differently (p < 0.001) when categorized according to the cut-off values defined in literature and cut-off values based on the study sample. The cut-off values by mean and standard deviation could be used for PSQ-Op, while cut-off values by percentile analysis could be used for PSQ-Org.

Analysis of the Impact of Oral Health on Adolescent Quality of Life Using Standard Statistical Methods and Artificial Intelligence Algorithms

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of oral health on adolescent quality of life and to compare the results obtained using standard statistical methods and artificial intelligence algorithms. In order to measure the impact of oral health on adolescent quality of life, a validated Serbian version of the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) scale was used. The total sample comprised 374 respondents. The obtained results were processed using standard statistical methods and machine learning, i.e., artificial intelligence algorithms—singular value decomposition. OIDP score was dichotomized into two categories depending on whether the respondents had or did not have oral or teeth problems affecting their life quality. Human intuition and machine algorithms came to the same conclusion on how the respondents should be divided. As such, method quality and the need to perform analyses of this type in dentistry studies were demonstrated. Using artificial intelligence algorithms, the respondents can be clustered into characteristic groups that allow the discovery of details not possible with the intuitive division of respondents by gender.

The Textology of the Synaxarian Life of Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, Martyrs of Alexandria

The abridged life of Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, martyrs of Alexandria, was translated from Greek as part of the Church Slavonic Synaxarion no later than in the early 12th century. Notably, the main version of this life does not contain any data on St Eugraphus. One of the earliest copies of the Synaxarion has lost the headline of the life of martyr Gemellus, whose memory is mentioned on the same day, while the corresponding text was added to the life of the saints of Alexandria. The scribe’s error has led to the emergence of a classifying feature that allows dividing the versions of the oldest translation of the Synaxarion into two groups. The first group consists of the main version ofthe life (Sof. 1324 and most other copies of the Ordinary Synaxarion). The second group encompassesthe extended by the life of Gemellus edition (copies of the Bulgarian version of the Synaxarion andseveral copies of the abridged version). In the Serbian version of the Synaxarion the main version ofthe life was supplemented with fictitious data about martyr Eugraphus. Apart from the versions of theOrdinary Synaxarion, two independent translations of the Versed Synaxarion were made from Greek toChurch Slavonic in the 14th century. One of them relates to the Bulgarian book tradition and the otherone follows the Serbian one. Each of the two translations includes the new life of Alexandria’s martyrssupplemented with verses. Between the 1630s and 1640s, Ukrainian scribes of the Commonwealth ofthe Two Nations created yet another version of the life, where the main version was supplemented withdata of martyr Eugraphus from the Bulgarian translation of the Versed Synaxarion. Thus, the abridgedlife of the martyrs of Alexandria is known in three translations, with the oldest one of them availablein four versions.

Validity and reliability of the Serbian COVID Stress Scales

This study aimed to generate a linguistic equivalent of the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) in the Serbian language and examine its psychometric characteristics. Data were collected from September to December 2020 among the general population of three cities in Republic of Serbia and Republic of Srpska, countries where the Serbian language is spoken. Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, followed by the CSS and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The CSS was validated using the standard methodology (i.e., forward and backward translations, pilot testing). The reliability of the Serbian CSS was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients and convergent validity was evaluated by correlating the CSS with PSS. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the construct validity of the Serbian CSS. This study included 961 persons (52.8% males and 47.2% females). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the Serbian CSS was 0.964 and McDonald’s omega was 0.964. The Serbian CSS with 36 items and a six-factorial structure showed a measurement model with a satisfactory fit for our population (CMIN/DF = 4.391; GFI = 0.991; RMSEA = 0.025). The CSS total and all domain scores significantly positively correlated with PSS total score. The Serbian version of the CSS is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used in assessing COVID-19-related distress experienced by Serbian speaking people during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future epidemics and pandemics.

Psychometric Properties and Structural Validity of the Serbian Version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBIser)

Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is a tool assessing fatigue and exhaustion as the core features of burnout. Despite its wide use and evidence of good psychometric properties, little is known about its structural validity. Therefore, this study aimed to examine internal psychometric properties and the latent composition of the Serbian version of CBI. A sample of 382 child welfare workers engaged in the work with the domestic population and professionals working with refugees and migrants completed a 19-item version of CBIser. Results showed that full-scale CBI despite having good psychometric properties lacks structural validity. A short-form of the instrument was empirically derived and several concurrent confirmatory models found in previous studies were tested. A three-factor model of personal, work-, and client-related burnout showed to be the best fitting one, and the 13-item form of CBI proved to be a structurally valid and psychometrically sound measure of burnout.

Serbian Translation and Validation of SF-36 for Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients with Diagnosed Arterial Hypertension

Precise estimation of life quality is of special importance in patients with chronic diseases, such as arterial hypertension. There are many questionnaires for that purpose. SF 36 with 8 domains has been proved as one of the most appropriate. To date, there was no translated and validated SF 36 in the Serbian language for hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to test validity and reliability of the SF-36 in Serbian patients with diagnosed arterial hypertension. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated to assess the internal consistency of the Serbian version of the SF-36. After deducting the overlap between each of the 36 items and its related domain, the collective validity was considered to be good if the correlation coefficient remains > 0.4. Only 2.54% answers to the questions were missing. The values of all 8 domains were higher in men than in women. Cronbach alpha coefficient was high for the SF-36, 0.897, and it suggests that the SF-36 had good internal reliability. All 8 domains showed high values of non-rotating factorial weights (>0.300) (range from 0.742-0.856), and all measure the same thing. It means that all components in this questionnaire measure the things they are assigned to.

The Validity and Reliability of the Serbian Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Version

Background: In recent years, the need for validated and reliable questionnaires for different applications could be observed throughout scientific literature. To add to this trend, we translated into Serbian the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and tested it for its psychometric properties. This study's main aims were to test the Serbian version of the SAS-SV's internal consistency and reliability and estimate smartphone addiction prevalence among medical students. Methods: The study was conducted in December 2018 on a representative sample of third-year medical students. The cross-cultural adaptation was performed following the well-established guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of self-reported measures. For test-retest reliability, students filled the questionnaire twice, within seven days. Results: The Serbian version of SAS-SV showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89) and excellent reliability for test-retest scores (ICC = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.92-0.96). Factor analysis supported the extraction of one factor, which explained 51,5% of the variance. To explore construct validity furthermore, SAS-SV was correlated with time indicators of smartphone use. According to cut-off values for the SAS-SV score, 19.5% of students could be regarded as “addicted” and often spent more time on smartphones and social networks on working days and weekends than “not addicted” students. Conclusion: The SAS-SV in the Serbian version is a reliable and valid instrument for detecting smartphone addiction among university students. Further research on this issue is encouraged to enable a better understanding of this ever-increasing public health issue.

The Validity and Reliability of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory for Examination of Burnout among Preschool Teachers in Serbia

Introduction: Burnout syndrome is being increasingly recognized as a factor that affects the health status and is being examined among different professional groups. Consequently, there is a need for a reliable and valid instrument for its examination. Teachers are emerging as a professional group of interest in the area of burnout research, so the aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Serbian version of Copenhagen burnout inventory among teachers at preschool institutions in Serbia. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted as a cross-sectional study between October 2018 and April 2019 on a nationally representative sample of preschool teachers in Serbia. The internal consistency of the scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and the construct validity was examined using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Results: The average score on total burnout was 39.1 ± 17.0, while the average score per scales on the Copenhagen burnout inventory was: 41.3 ± 18.7 for personal burnout, 41.2 ± 15.9 for work-related burnout, and 34.7 ± 22.0 for client-related burnout. The Cronbach’s alpha for the entire scale was 0.936, the Cronbach’s alpha for the personal burnout scale was 0.906, and the Cronbach’s alpha for the work-related burnout scale was 0.765, while the Cronbach’s alpha for the client-related burnout scale was 0.901. The EFA for the CBI showed three factors. The factor loadings varied from 0.575 to 0.859. The three factors explained 67.17% of the variance. Conclusions: Our study showed that the three-factor Serbian version of the Copenhagen burnout inventory can be used for the assessment of burnout syndrome among teachers.