Highlights Mental health issues are frequently underestimated in developing countries, although they are expected to be highly prevalent, particularly in the context of a severe socio-economic crisis and political instability. Fear of COVID-19 and fear of poverty were independently associated with higher stress and anxiety, while family satisfaction and financial wellness were linked to lower stress. Combined fear of COVID-19 and financial distress were associated with further stress and anxiety.

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Objectives: To validate an Arabic version of the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and identify factors (such as depression, stress, anxiety and body dissatisfaction) that might be associated with disordered eating among a sample of the Lebanese population. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: All Lebanese governorates. Participants: A total of 811 participants randomly selected participated in this 5-month study (January–May 2018). Results: The EAT-26 scale items converged over a solution of six factors that had an eigenvalue over 1, explaining a total of 60·07 % of the variance (Cronbach’s α = 0·895). The prevalence of disordered eating attitudes was 23·8 %. Higher EAT-26 scores (disordered eating attitudes) were significantly associated with higher depression (β = 0·325), higher emotional eating (β = 0·083), daily weighing (β = 3·430), higher physical activity (β = 0·05), starving to reduce weight (β = 4·94) and feeling pressure from TV/magazine to lose weight (β = 3·95). Conclusions: The Arabic version of EAT-26 can be a useful instrument for screening and assessing disordered eating attitudes in clinical practice and research. Some factors seem to be associated with more disordered eating attitudes among participants for whom psychological counseling may be needed. Yet, our findings are considered preliminary, and further studies are warranted to confirm them.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with depression in a representative sample of the Lebanese population. Design/Methods: A cross-sectional study, conducted between November 2017 and March 2018, enrolled 789 participants. Depression was measured using the Arabic version of the Hamilton Depression Scale. Results: The participants' mean age was 30.30 ± 12.52 years (54.8% males). More than half of the participants had depressive symptoms (59.7%). Anxiety (β = .457), alcohol dependence (β = .290), suicidal ideation (β = 1.427), high socioeconomic status (β = 1.910), being widowed (β = 4.564), and physical work fatigue (β = .090) were significantly associated with higher depression. Higher social emotional awareness was significantly associated with lower depression (β = −.176).

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