Predictors of Mental Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic Confinement: A Comparative Study between Adult Arabs of the Levant and the Gulf

Abstract

The Levant and the Gulf are both members of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) territory, however even though these regions are in close proximity and share similar cultures and values, they could not be more different from each other. The Gulf states boasts of stable political and economic landscapes whereas the Levant is fraught with civic unrest and uncertainty. This study compares the influence of home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns on mental health, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors between the Levant and Gulf regions and identifies if these factors influence mental wellbeing in their respective countries.

A snowball non-discriminate sampling procedure was conducted to collect data from 2754 people attending or working at higher institutions in the MENA region and an online multi-categorical questionnaire was administered to collect demographic information along with the following tools: Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), WHO-5 wellbeing score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Mental wellbeing scores were higher in those who engaged in medium and high physical activity (PA) (p<0.001) and in those with sound sleep (p<0.001) and there were associations found between both PA and sleep scores with region (p<0.001). High PA and quality sleep are protective against mental illness in both Levant and Gulf regions (p<0.001). Diet played a role in guarding mental health in the Levant (p=0.027) but not the Gulf (p=0.887).

The factors PA, quality of sleep, age, residential area, chronic disease and overall health status are major determinants of mental wellbeing in Levantine and Gulf Arab adults during COVID-19 confinement. Sleep and PA were shown to be significant influencers of mental wellbeing in both the Levant and the Gulf, however diet quality was not a significant variable in the Gulf. There were significant differences found between dietary intakes and sleeping habits between the Levant and the Gulf but no differences were found between PA patterns and region.