Scheuring Julia, Bosqui Tania
Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Department of Psychology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Confl Health. 2025 Jan 28;19(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s13031-025-00645-5.
Students in Lebanon are facing the devastating impact of multiple national crises, including an unprecedented economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion that killed hundreds, injured thousands, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The aim of this study was to identify key social determinants of common mental health symptoms before and after the Beirut port explosion for students at the American University of Beirut, a university based around 4 km from the port.
Two cross-sectional studies were conducted using a representative sample of undergraduate and graduate students at the American University of Beirut. The study was conducted just before (Study 1) and repeated after the Beirut port explosion (Study 2).
A total of 217 students participated (n = 143 in Study 1 and n = 74 in Study 2). In Study 1 before the explosion, poorer family functioning and social support were correlated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, but not with anxiety or trauma symptoms. Financial stress was correlated with depressive and trauma symptoms. In the partially adjusted regression model (adjusting for demographics), only financial stress was significantly associated with depressive symptoms. In the fully adjusted model (adjusting for adversity), financial stress was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. In Study 2 after the explosion, poorer family functioning and poorer social support were correlated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, while only poorer social support was correlated with higher levels of anxiety symptoms-trauma symptoms were not correlated with either. Financial stress was correlated with all symptoms. In the partially adjusted regression model, only financial stress was significantly associated with all symptom clusters. In the fully adjusted model, no variables were significant.
Findings indicate a detrimental impact of financial stress on the mental health of students in Lebanon, beyond the otherwise protective effects of family and social support, in the context of an unprecedented economic crisis and extremely high levels of distress after the explosion. Findings indicate that mental health interventions for college students in Lebanon should include addressing financial stress, and that further research is needed to identify protective factors during acute emergencies.
黎巴嫩的学生正面临多重国家危机的毁灭性影响，包括前所未有的经济崩溃以及贝鲁特港口爆炸事件，此次爆炸造成数百人死亡、数千人受伤，并使数十万人流离失所。本研究的目的是确定贝鲁特港口爆炸前后，位于距离港口约4公里处的美国贝鲁特大学学生常见心理健康症状的关键社会决定因素。
使用美国贝鲁特大学本科和研究生的代表性样本进行了两项横断面研究。一项研究在爆炸前进行（研究1），另一项在贝鲁特港口爆炸后重复进行（研究2）。
共有217名学生参与（研究1中有143名，研究2中有74名）。在爆炸前的研究1中，较差的家庭功能和社会支持与较高水平的抑郁症状相关，但与焦虑或创伤症状无关。经济压力与抑郁和创伤症状相关。在部分调整回归模型（调整人口统计学因素）中，只有经济压力与抑郁症状显著相关。在完全调整模型（调整逆境因素）中，经济压力与抑郁和焦虑症状相关。在爆炸后的研究2中，较差的家庭功能和较差的社会支持与较高水平的抑郁症状相关，而只有较差的社会支持与较高水平的焦虑症状相关——创伤症状与两者均无关联。经济压力与所有症状相关。在部分调整回归模型中，只有经济压力与所有症状群显著相关。在完全调整模型中，没有变量具有显著性。
研究结果表明，在前所未有的经济危机和爆炸后极高的痛苦背景下，经济压力对黎巴嫩学生的心理健康有有害影响，超出了家庭和社会支持原本的保护作用。研究结果表明，黎巴嫩大学生的心理健康干预应包括解决经济压力问题，并且需要进一步研究以确定急性紧急情况下的保护因素。
