The Combined Outcomes of the Covid-19 Pandemic and a Collapsing Economy on Mental Well-Being

A Cross-Sectional Study

Bibliographic Data

ID13675229
AuthorsHala Sacre (0000-0001-6547-6251, INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Santé Publique, Épidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon.), Aline Hajj (0000-0003-0826-6033, Saint Joseph University), Danielle A Badro (0000-0003-4487-9144, INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Santé Publique, Épidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon; Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Science and Technology, Beirut, Lebanon), Carla Abou Selwan (0000-0002-8140-8694, INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Santé Publique, Épidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon; Medical and Marketing Solutions, Science PRO, Jal El Dib, Lebanon), Chadia Haddad (0000-0003-2413-2684, INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Santé Publique, Épidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon; Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon; School of Health Sciences, Modern University for Business and Science, Beirut, Lebanon., corresponding author), Randa Aoun (0000-0003-2738-1010, INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Santé Publique, Épidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon), Pascale Salameh (0000-0002-4780-0772, INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Santé Publique, Épidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon; School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon; Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus; Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon)
Year2022
Volume127
Issue1
Pages64-91
Publication date2022-06-29
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychological Reports (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00332941221110545
PMID35766201
OpenAlexW4283691132
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited40

Objective: This study aimed to examine the outcomes of COVID-19 and a collapsing economy on the mental well-being (MWB) of the general Lebanese population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted online in May 2020 and enrolled 502 adults. Results: Mental well-being had a mean of 14.80 (14.37; 15.24). A lower MWB was associated with female gender (beta=-1.533 [-2.324; -0.743]), university education (beta=-2.119 [-3.353;-0.885]), fear of COVID-19 (beta=-0.131 [-0.199; -0.063]), fear of poverty (beta=-0.232 [-0.402;-0.063]), verbal violence at home (beta=-3.464 [-5.137; -1.790]), and chronic disease (beta=-1.307 [-2.283; -0.330]). Better family satisfaction (beta=0.380 [0.235; 0.525]) and better financial situation (beta=0.029 [0.003; 0.055]) were significantly correlated with better MWB. In the subsample of workers/looking for a job, additional factors affected MWB: physical exercise (beta =1.318 [0.370; 2.265]) was associated with better QOL, while being a previous waterpipe smoker, being self-employed before the crisis (beta=-1.22 [-2.208;-0.231]), working from home since the economic crisis (-1.853 [-3.692; -0.013]), and worrying about the long-term effects of the crisis on one's employment status (beta=-0.433 [-0.650; -0.216]) were associated lower MWB. It is noteworthy that closure of the institution yielded a borderline result (B = -1.2; p = .094), while the fear of COVID-19 was not significantly associated with MWB (B = -0.054; p =0.192). Conclusion: This study showed that, during the pandemic, economic and other factors, directly or indirectly related to COVID-19, significantly affected quality of life. The fear of COVID-19 and fear of poverty mainly impacted the MWB of the general population. However, the fear of COVID-19 lost its significance among workers, who reported that factors negatively affecting their MWB are directly related to their employment and the already collapsing economy in Lebanon

BETA (programming language · Closure (psychology · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Cross-sectional study · Disease · Economic growth · Economics · Mental health · Political science · Population · Poverty · Psychiatry · Sociology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Demography · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology

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