The psychological impact of COVID-19 in a socio-politically unstable environment: protective effects of sleep and gratitude in Lebanese adults

BMC Psychology

Research

Rana Rizk¹  Myriam El Khoury-Malhame²  Esperance Joukayem²  Toni Sawma²  Alyssa Rechdan² 

[1] Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon;INSPECT-LB, (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Epidémiologie Clinique Et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon;Department of Social and Education Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon;

关键词: COVID-19;    PTSD;    Anxiety;    Depression;    Perceived stress;    Gratitude;    Sleep;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-023-01042-4

 received in 2022-10-18, accepted in 2023-01-05,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 global pandemic initiated an unprecedented medico-psychological turmoil. Our study investigates the psychological impact of the viral spread and austere lockdown, and focuses mostly on potential protective factors in a politically and economically unstable society.MethodsA cross-sectional design was used to evaluate rates of mental distress in a sample of 348 Lebanese adults. Participants filled questionnaires of perceived stress (PSS), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), PTSD (IES-22), as well as sleep (PSQi) and gratitude (GQ-6) immediately after 3 months of strict quarantine. Demographics included gender, age, employment and infection statuses. Correlations and regression models were used.ResultsResults indicated a very high prevalence of mental distress, in addition to major alterations in sleep quality and quantity. Younger age and unemployment correlated with more severe symptoms. Sleep was found to be a protective factor against all studied psychological distress, and gratitude further mitigated effects of depression.ConclusionsMental health significantly degrades post-COVID lockdown, even in the absence of direct viral threat. Yet simple behavioral and cognitive changes like sleep and attitude of gratitude could provide protective factors against these psychological distresses. Such changes should be further explored and advocated as cost-efficient self-care practices to buffer this devastating public health burden, especially in unstable socio-political environments.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023