THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON MENTAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONGST LEBANESE ADULTS: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV- This disease was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in December 2019 and has rapidly spread to most major cities and towns in the world, resulting in its designation as a global pandemic. Concerns have been raised about the potential negative impact of the pandemic (and its mitigation strategies) on mental health and quality of life in addition to the mounting death toll in numerous nations.

Therefore, this study aims to (1) determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress among Lebanese adult population amid the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) explore sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related predictors that might influence mental health outcomes and quality of life (QoL) during COVID-19. This cross-sectional study was conducted online between October and December 2022, using the snowball sampling technique. The final sample included 402 respondents.

Almost half of the study sample had negative impact of covid-19 on QoL (47%). Around two fifths had high anxiety (38%), just over a third had extreme fear of covid- 19 (34%) and over a quarter had distress (28%). Based on adjusted multiple regression models, being self-employed (0.056(0.004-0.893) P=0.041), not exposed to violence (0.333(0.156-0.711) P=0.004), getting support from family and friends ((0.390 (0.162- 0.941)) P=0.036), and sharing feelings with family and friends (0.244(0.081-0.732) P=0.012, 0.348(0.138-0.879) P=0.025) were associated with lower psychological distress. Likewise, lower anxiety was correlated with being self-employed (0.97(0.20- 0.916) P=0.042), or full-time employed (0.084(0.10-0.749) P=0.026), not exposed to violence (0.385(0.187-0.791) P=0.009), having no mental illness (0.210(0.91-0.482)P= 0.001), and sharing feelings with family and friends(0.463(0.219-0.980) P=0.044). On the other hand, high school graduates, and people who feared having no access to treatment were more likely to have higher fear of covid 19, but not following covid 19 news and having >= 7 rooms were linked to lower fear of covid 19. Additionally, higher impact of covid 19 on quality of life was linked to being female, having < 5 rooms, fearing of having no access to treatment, having a worried family member, and having a mental illness. However, sharing feelings with family and friends was shown to decrease the impact of covid 19 on quality of life.

The Lebanese government and policymakers are encouraged to design and provide specific psychological promotion programs for adults with the aim of promoting their mental health and wellbeing. Findings from the present study also highlight the need to improving access to treatment, social support, and wellness programs to improve resilience to future shocks and to enhance the mental health outcomes of the Lebanese population.