Faculty Publications
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The Faculty Publications community brings together the scholarly output of academic staff from across the institution. It includes peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, and other research contributions. This collection aims to provide open access to faculty research, promote academic collaboration, and increase the visibility of the institution's scientific work.
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Item THE IMPACT OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC ON HOUSEHOLD INCOME, CONSUMPTION, AND SAV ING(AAB College, 2025-07-18) Tafa, Saranda; Bajrami, Roberta; Shabani, Gezim; Gashi, AdelinaThe primary factors that were initially assumed to contribute to a decline in household income were job losses, which affect the decrease in consumption (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2020; Doerr & Gambacorta, 2020). Kosovo’s government has taken measures of social distancing, having a major impact on households such as the impact of dismissal due to the closure of businesses indefinitely. This regime is continuing from the different waves of COVID-19 variants and the family income as it goes and decreases. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household income including household consumption and savings for the years 2020–2021. The study uses a quantitative research method, thus, for primary data collection, the online questionnaire is used. The latent variable in this paper is the COVID-19 pandemic, while the factors that determine the latent variable are: savings, job loss, family income before the pandemic, and consumption expenditures. The study concludes that COVID-19 has a negative and significant impact on family income, saving, job loss, and consumption expenditures. The results from the structural equation modeling (SEM) are significant and the likelihood ratio (LR) test is 47.46. These findings and those of Martin, Hallegatte, and Walsh (2020), Dossche, Kolndrekaj, and Slacalek (2021), and Bundervoet, Davalos, and Garcia (2021) are consistent.Item THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND ONLINE SHOPPING: THE CASE STUDY IN THE DEVELOPING COUNTRY(AAB College, 2025-07-18) Ismajli, Ali; Mustafa, AgronThe main purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the pandemic on online shopping in the case of Kosovo. Cunningham (2019) states that online shopping is an e-commerce activity that involves buying items on a seller’s website through a credit or debit card and delivering the item to your home with online shopping, customers buy items from anywhere in the world through a digital platform. The data used are primary, collected through the online questionnaire and it was distributed using social media Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail to a random sample of 500 respondents from Kosovo. We have concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive impact on online shopping because, based on the results we have obtained, online shopping has increased during this period. Online shopping clearly shows that consumers’ attitudes and behaviors have changed rapidly, but the pandemic had not increased their confidence in online shopping. This is especially true for developed countries, where every store has its website from which to buy, and India seems to have adopted this trend very fast compared to Pakistan (Bashir, Mehboob, & Bhatti, 2015). The most demanded products besides food, and hygiene, there was a great demand for clothing, electronic and technological equipment, books, and others. Regardless of how many advantages we can have from online shopping, traditional shopping is still what Kosovar consumers prefer to practice. The paper also suggests some recommendations regarding online shopping in Kosovo.Item COVID-19 And International Business: Insights and Policy Challenges(AAB College, 2025-07-18) Bajraktari, KaltrinaThe Covid-19 viral pandemic has had a distinct impact on various sectors of the economy, especially the services, and certain groups of population imposing the risk of permanent labor dislocations. In the midst of the pandemic, governments have adopted various measures to contain the spread of the virus, inadvertently causing a global economic recession, and thus, a sharp decline in global trade activity. Some estimates suggest that the decline in global trade have imposed a particularly heavy economic burden on trade-dependent developing countries and emerging markets. What’s more, the coronavirus disease has casted doubts on the costs and benefits of the global supply chains that businesses have set up over the last few decades. Over the course of the pandemic-related recession, these chains were disrupted, thus rising the question of adopting policies aimed at reallocating resources in the economy and developing domestic production for goods that were previously imported. This article performs a comprehensive literature surveying of the multidimensional aspects of the pandemic’s effects on international business. Against this background, it allows consideration within a large spectrum of how the coronavirus outbreaks in critical links of the global supply chains have resulted in supply interruptions and how businesses have responded in an effort to increase their resilience to these disruptions.Item Prevalence of Perceived Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in HCW in Kosovo during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey(AAB College, 2025-07-17) Arenliu Qosaj, FatimeA pandemic may have a negative impact on healthcare workers’ (HCW) mental health. In this cross-sectional study, we assess the self-reported prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression and identify their predictive factors among HCW in Kosovo. The online questionnaire collected data on socio-demographics (sex, age, occupation, education, workplace) and the presence and severity of depression, anxiety, and stress through the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and linear logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Of the 545 respondents, the majority were male (53.0%), under 60 years of age (94.7%), and married (81.7%). Most of them were physicians (78.2%), while the remaining were nurses, midwives, and other health professionals (22%). Prevalence rates for moderate to extremely high stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were 21.9%, 13.0%, and 13.9%, respectively. The nurses reported significantly higher mean scores for depression and anxiety than the physicians (p < 0.05). Being married, having poor health, not exercising, and reporting “burnout” from work significantly predicted higher levels of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms among health workers (p < 0.05). Most HCWs (71.6%) reported a mild, moderate, or severe mental health burden, and certain factors predicted higher levels of such burden.Item The COVID-19 Vaccine Opinions of Women Planning a Pregnancy: International Web Blogs Scanning(AAB College, 2025-07-17) Sopjani, IdrizBackground: The unprecedented COVID-19 has infected millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands of people. A strategy to contain the spread of the disease was the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Objective: In our study, it was determined the opinions of women who are planning to become pregnant about the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: Blogs were used as the data source in the research, which was designed as a descriptive qualitative study. For this purpose, the expressions of 34 women identified between February and March 2021 were evaluated with directed qualitative content analysis. Results: Psychological changes, cognitive changes, and coping methods were determined as the themes of our results. This study demonstrates the value of using qualitative methods to determine the thoughts of women planning to become pregnant regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: For women planning pregnancy, continued research into vaccine safety and efficacy is vital, and results should be carefully investigated and handed in the right channels.Item Predictors of nurses’ intention to accept COVID-19 vaccination: A cross-sectional study in five European countries(AAB College, 2025-07-17) Sopjani, IdrizAims and Objectives: To investigate nurses’ intention in accepting COVID-19 vaccination and the factors affecting their decision. Background: COVID-19 vaccination has started in most European countries with healthcare personnel being the first group receiving the vaccine shots. Their attitude towards vaccination is of paramount significant as their role in the frontline could help in the awareness of general population. Methods: A study was conducted in Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Kosovo with the use of an online questionnaire. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used. The STROBE checklist was followed for this cross-sectional study. Results: Study population consisted of 1135 nurses. Mean age of the participants was 38.3 years, while most of them were female gender (84.7%) and married (53.1%). Acceptance of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine was higher among Greek (79.2%) and Spanish (71.6%) nurses, followed by Cypriot (54%), Albanian (46.3%) and Kosovo (46.2%) nurses. Key factors for willingness to get vaccinated were male gender, living in a country with a high mortality rate in comparison with low mortality, being not infected with COVID-19, having high level of knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and having been vaccinated for influenza in the last 2 years. Moreover, trusting the government and doctors regarding the information about the COVID-19 and having high level of fear about this virus were key factors for willingness to get vaccinated. Conclusion: Vaccination of healthcare personnel is a crucial issue not only for their own safety but also for their patients’. Healthcare acceptance to get vaccinated can work as a role model for general population. Relevance to clinical practice: Gender, country, mortality rate, trust in government and health professionals and the level of fear were key factors that should be managed in clinical practice.Item Factors influencing nursing students' intention to accept COVID-19 vaccination: A pooled analysis of seven European countries(AAB College, 2025-07-17) Sopjani, IdrizBackground: Experiencing the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic, high vaccination coverage by a safe and effective vaccine globally would be a great achievement. Acceptance of vaccination by nursing students is an important issue as they play a decisive role as future professionals in educating patients, counselling, and guiding them to the right clinical decision. Objectives: To explore the intention of nursing students to get vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the factors acting either as motivators or as barriers towards vaccination. Design: A multicenter cross-sectional design. Participants: In total 2249 undergraduate nursing students participated. Methods: The study was conducted in 7 universities in participating countries (Greece, Albania, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, and Kosovo) through a web survey. Data was collected during December 2020–January 2021 in all countries. Results: Forty three point 8% of students agreed to accept a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, while the acceptance was higher among Italian students. The factors for intention to get vaccinated were male gender (p = 0.008), no working experience in healthcare facilities during the pandemic (p = 0.001), vaccination for influenza in 2019 and 2020 (p < 0.001), trust in doctors (p < 0.001), governments and experts (p = 0.012), high level of knowledge (p < 0.001) and fear of COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Understanding of factors that influence students' decision to accept COVID-19 vaccination could increase the acceptance rate contributing to a management of the pandemic.Item Prevalence of COVID-19 During 2021 in Prishtina, Kosovo: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study(AAB College, 2025-07-17) Sadiku, IzetBackground: The global crisis of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) has prompted comprehensive research into its impact, with studies uncovering varied occurrence and mortality rates. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 amongst the overall population based on self-reported symptoms and testing while also examining the association of prevalence with demographic, health, and epidemiological factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with citizens of Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo from May to June 2021. We calculated the prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and positive tests among the citizens, as well as crude and adjusted ORs examining the association of COVID-19 infection with explanatory factors, including the protection and exposure coefficient. Results: A total of 654 (52.1%) out of 1255 respondents reported having experienced COVID-19 symptoms. Six hundred (47.8%) households reported having an infected family member and 44 (7.3%) households reported having a dead family member due to COVID-19. In addition, 47.2% of 3,068 household members were infected with COVID-19, and 1.5% died due to COVID-19. A total of 689 respondents underwent testing for COVID-19 and 184 (26.7%) reported positive results. For individuals who reported COVID-19 symptoms, higher odds for infection were found among urban residents (adjusted OR, 1.53; 95%CI, 1.13-2.07; p=0.006), individuals with infected household members (adjusted OR, 2.53; 95%CI, 2.00-3.20; p<0.001), higher exposure coefficient (adjusted OR, 2.20; 95%CI, 1.42-3.41; p<0.001), and existing health conditions (adjusted OR, 2.22; 95%CI, 1.50-3.27; p<0.001). For individuals who underwent COVID-19 testing, higher odds for infection were found among individuals with infected household members (adjusted OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 2.29-5.39; p<0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence of COVID-19 in Prishtina and the significance of factors like existing health conditions, household size, epidemiologic behaviour, and the number of infected members as important determinants of COVID-19 incidence.Item The Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of University’s Students Towards Covid-19(AAB College, 2025-07-16) Haxhija, EdonaIntroduction: The COVID - 19 has been a global public health concern from day one till now. The Aim is to assess students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. A validated, structured, anonymous, self-administered online questionnaire was used. The inclusion criteria were voluntary students from each Luigj Gurakuqi University faculty member. Two hundred fifty-seven students completed the questionnaire, which was created with the Microsoft Forms Office program and distributed via WhatsApp. Data were calculated through the SPSS program. Pearson correlation, ANOVA test, and simple independent test –T were applied to elaborate on the data collected. The study period is April-May 2022. Results: In this study, 257 students participated. Most of the participants were female (N=223; 87%). More than 86% of students responded positively regarding their knowledge about the symptoms of COVID-19. Regarding attitude and practice, 90% of students agreed that hand washing is necessary to prevent infection, while 98% believed wearing a mask would prevent disease. Conclusions: In general, they show positive attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19. Many say they would not hide it as information; they would seek medical help.Item Kosovo Students’ Readiness for Online Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic(AAB College, 2025-07-16) Vehapi, Shemsedin; Bajrami, RobertaOnline learning is one of the main alternatives to traditional classroom learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the new regular periods. Online learning has been used at many educational levels on a range of platforms. Numerous studies have shown that online education is beneficial across all academic levels and topic areas. This study aims to assess students’ preparedness for online learning during the COVID-19 epidemic at higher education institutions. A quantitative strategy built on a survey method was employed for this research project. Students from higher education institutes in Kosovo were purposefully chosen as the study group. One thousand five hundred people were selected as a sample from the target population. The simple-to-use structural equation modeling (SEM) model was utilized to examine the data in this paper. This methodology assesses how prepared students from Kosovo are for online learning. Self-directed learning (SDL), learner control, learner motivation, and online communication self-efficacy were the five components of that scale. The study confirmed that because they were driven to learn in this e-learning environment, students at higher education institutions (HEIs) were considerably more personalized and successful in their decisions about their online educational lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.