Page 75 - IJPS-9-1

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
The role of the COVID-19 pandemic and

economic crisis in insomnia and post-traumatic
stress symptoms in the Lebanese population: A

cross-sectional assessment

Aline Hajj 1,2,3,4 , Danielle A. Badro , Carla Abou Selwan , Hala Sacre ,
1,5
1,6
1
1
Randa Aoun , Chadia Haddad 1,7,8,9 *, and Pascale Salameh 1,9,10,11
1 Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon
2 Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Pharmacie Clinique et Contrôle de Qualité des Médicament, Faculty
of Pharmacy, Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
3 Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
4 Oncology Division, CHU de Québec Université Laval Research Center, Québec, Canada
5 Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Science and Technology. Beirut, Lebanon
6 Science PRO, Medical and Marketing Solutions, Jal el Dib, Lebanon
7 Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon
8 School of Health Sciences, Modern University for Business and Science, Beirut, Lebanon
9 School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
10 Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon
11 Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, 2417,
Nicosia, Cyprus

*Corresponding author:
Chadia Haddad
(chadia_9@hotmail.com)
Citation: Hajj A, Badro DA, Abstract
Selwan CA, et al., (2023). The role
of the COVID-19 pandemic and Based on an online cross-sectional survey, this study aimed to evaluate the role of the
economic crisis in insomnia and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and economy-related factors in post-
post-traumatic stress symptoms traumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) and sleep in a sample of the general Lebanese
in the Lebanese population: A
cross-sectional assessment. population using the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist. The online survey was
International Journal of Population conducted between May 10, and May 20, 2020, and 502 Lebanese adults who have
Studies. 9(1):69-81. access to the internet were enrolled. Results highlighted that positive correlates of PTSS
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.440 were fear of COVID-19, female gender, and waterpipe smoking; negative correlates
Received: January 5, 2023 were higher family satisfaction, higher financial wellness, older age, having access to
Accepted: March 27, 2023 healthcare, and never having to work. When including insomnia as an independent
variable to explain PTSS, the model did not substantially change. Positive correlates
Published Online: April 10, 2023 of insomnia included fear of poverty, fear of COVID-19, violence at home, the number
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). of dependent children, having a job, and having a chronic disease. Conversely, higher
This is an Open Access article family satisfaction and financial wellness were associated with lower likelihood of
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution insomnia. When entering PTSS, insomnia remained positively associated with fear
License, permitting distribution, of poverty, PTSS, and violence at home. However, fear of COVID-19 was no longer
and reproduction in any medium, associated with insomnia. We concluded that both the fear of COVID-19 and the
provided the original work is
properly cited. economic crisis are correlated with PTSS and insomnia.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019; Economic crisis; Post-traumatic stress symptoms
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional insomnia; Sleep disorders; Financial well-being; Lebanon
affiliations.

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2023) 69 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.440