Igor Pantić

Name and Surname
Igor Pantić

Affiliation

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Physiology, Višegradska 26/2, 11129, Belgrade, Serbia
University of Haifa, 199 Abba Hushi Blvd, Mount Carmel, Haifa IL-3498838, Israel
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Short Biography

Igor Pantić is a PhD in medical sciences, a specialist in psychiatry, scientific advisor and associate professor at the Institute of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. Since 2017 to the present, he has been an associate professor at the University of Haifa in Israel, and since 2022 an associate clinical professor at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences within the Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. His fields of scientific interest include neuroscience, psychophysiology and social cognition.

Research abstract

The COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia has led to profound changes in the way in which people interact and communicate. Restrictive anti-epidemic measures such as lockdowns, movement bans and restrictions on public gatherings have led to the fact that a large number of young people in Serbia do not go to work, that is, to educational institutions, and spend most of their working and free time at home. It is assumed that during this period, and especially during the state of emergency, there was a significant increase in the use of the Internet and addiction to social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, which probably led to negative consequences for the mental health of young people. Our research examined the degree of addiction to the Internet and social networks among young adults in the territory of the city of Belgrade during the COVID-19 epidemic and the connection of these types of addiction with anxiety and depression. Also, in this research, we examined whether and to what extent addiction to the Internet and social networks as well as possible consequential anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the change in the socioeconomic status of young people. Finally, the project tried to determine the shortcomings and errors of the current public health policy in the field of preserving and improving the mental health of young people during the COVID-19 epidemic in Serbia. This research applied a unique, innovative and multidisciplinary approach in order to compile a set of recommendations for the correction and improvement of the current social and public health policy in Serbia.