Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon
Abstract A cross-sectional study was conducted investigating the association between exposure to financial, political, academic and social stressors, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and burnout among university students in Lebanon. Lebanon is a developing country experiencing a financial crisis...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06701-1 |
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| author | Zeina M. Al-Khalil Walaa G. El Sheikh Ghena H. Lababidi Elissa O. Shehayeb Pia Maria Ghanime Farid R. Talih Hani Tamim Bilal R. Kaafarani |
| author_facet | Zeina M. Al-Khalil Walaa G. El Sheikh Ghena H. Lababidi Elissa O. Shehayeb Pia Maria Ghanime Farid R. Talih Hani Tamim Bilal R. Kaafarani |
| author_sort | Zeina M. Al-Khalil |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A cross-sectional study was conducted investigating the association between exposure to financial, political, academic and social stressors, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and burnout among university students in Lebanon. Lebanon is a developing country experiencing a financial crisis and sociopolitical turmoil with poorly characterized impacts on the mental health of residents. To assess burnout and symptoms of depression, anxiety, a condensed version of the Malach-Pines Burnout Measure and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) were used, respectively. Out of 240 respondents, 52.3% experienced burnout, 29.3% experienced high/very high burnout, and 54.2% reported symptoms of depression, anxiety. Women had poorer mental health outcomes. The strongest associations were between little sleep and burnout (aOR = 6.78, p < 0.001) and symptoms of depression, anxiety (aOR = 2.84, p < 0.001). Exposure to high financial and COVID-19 pandemic stressors were associated with high levels of burnout and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results highlight the gravity of the psychological state of university students in Lebanon, as they navigate through the struggles of an uncertain future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb8452bd715840daa67ca73b730be168 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb8452bd715840daa67ca73b730be1682025-01-19T12:27:36ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-01-0125111210.1186/s12909-025-06701-1Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in LebanonZeina M. Al-Khalil0Walaa G. El Sheikh1Ghena H. Lababidi2Elissa O. Shehayeb3Pia Maria Ghanime4Farid R. Talih5Hani Tamim6Bilal R. Kaafarani7Faculty of Medicine, American University of BeirutFaculty of Medicine, American University of BeirutFaculty of Medicine, American University of BeirutDepartment of Chemistry, American University of BeirutDepartment of Psychiatry, American University of BeirutDepartment of Psychiatry, American University of BeirutDepartment of Internal Medicine, American University of BeirutDepartment of Chemistry, American University of BeirutAbstract A cross-sectional study was conducted investigating the association between exposure to financial, political, academic and social stressors, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and burnout among university students in Lebanon. Lebanon is a developing country experiencing a financial crisis and sociopolitical turmoil with poorly characterized impacts on the mental health of residents. To assess burnout and symptoms of depression, anxiety, a condensed version of the Malach-Pines Burnout Measure and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) were used, respectively. Out of 240 respondents, 52.3% experienced burnout, 29.3% experienced high/very high burnout, and 54.2% reported symptoms of depression, anxiety. Women had poorer mental health outcomes. The strongest associations were between little sleep and burnout (aOR = 6.78, p < 0.001) and symptoms of depression, anxiety (aOR = 2.84, p < 0.001). Exposure to high financial and COVID-19 pandemic stressors were associated with high levels of burnout and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The results highlight the gravity of the psychological state of university students in Lebanon, as they navigate through the struggles of an uncertain future.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06701-1Mental healthCrisisEconomic recessionUncertainty |
| spellingShingle | Zeina M. Al-Khalil Walaa G. El Sheikh Ghena H. Lababidi Elissa O. Shehayeb Pia Maria Ghanime Farid R. Talih Hani Tamim Bilal R. Kaafarani Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon BMC Medical Education Mental health Crisis Economic recession Uncertainty |
| title | Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon |
| title_full | Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon |
| title_fullStr | Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon |
| title_short | Impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health: a cross-sectional study on university students in Lebanon |
| title_sort | impact of socioeconomic and political stressors on mental health a cross sectional study on university students in lebanon |
| topic | Mental health Crisis Economic recession Uncertainty |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06701-1 |
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