Beirut: a wounded city explodes

Maamari, Julian; Fadlallah, Najat; Jamaleddine, Wassim

doi:10.1136/emermed-2020-210512

Cited by 1 publication

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“…This study set out to explore the prevalence of PTSD and associated mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and stress) following the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, which took the lives of more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000 (Maamari et al, 2020). Our results indicated that 40% of men and 47% of women reported clinically significant symptoms of PTSD, and further gender differences were evident for depression, anxiety, and stress with women scoring higher across these measures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the 4th of August 2020, part of a consignment containing 2,700 kg of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the Beirut Port exploded, devastating much of the city (Rigby et al, 2020). The explosion resulted in the death of more than 200 individuals, over 6,000 individuals were injured, and approximately 300,000 people were made homeless (Maamari et al, 2020; Rigby et al, 2020). Such disasters are likely to result in community-level economic, social, and mental health costs (Lee et al, 2020).…”

Section: Demographic Correlates Of Ptsd Symptomatologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and correlates of mental health difficulties following the beirut port explosion: The roles of mentalizing and resilience.

Tohme¹,

Grey²,

El-Tawil³

et al. 2024

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy

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Objective: Research has consistently highlighted an increased prevalence of mental health problems, such posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, following both man-made and natural disasters. Mentalizing and resilience have been previously identified as potential protective factors against the onset of mental health difficulties following such events. Method: This study first identified the prevalence of PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and stress and subsequently assessed mentalizing abilities and resilience as predictors of PTSD symptomatology in a sample of 521 Lebanese participants following the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020. Results: Findings were consistent with existing literature highlighting elevated rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety subsequent to man-made disasters, with higher rates of mental health symptoms observed among women, those with a preexisting diagnosis of psychiatric disorder (1.5 times more likely to meet the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 [PCL-5] cutoff score), and those who had to move houses (over 2 times more likely to meet PCL-5 cutoff) as a consequence of the explosion. Higher mentalizing capacities were positively correlated with higher resilience scores and lower indices of mental health difficulties. Each unit increase in resilience scores was associated with a 3% reduction in meeting PCL-5 cutoff, and poorer mentalizing abilities was associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of meeting PCL-5 cutoff. Conclusions: Presence of a previous psychiatric diagnosis, having to move houses, lower mentalizing capacities, and lower resilience scores were found to predict elevated PCL-5 scores. Findings are discussed within the framework of recommendations for interventions targeting people affected by traumatic events. Clinical Impact StatementFollowing one of the biggest man-made disasters in modern history and in times of peace, this article aims at assessing the mental health consequences of such an event on a sample of the population. We specifically evaluated the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, stress, and depression and the protective roles of mentalization and resilience. Presence of a previous psychiatric diagnosis and having to move houses as a result of the explosion were found to predict meeting cutoff scores on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 for PTSD, and poorer mentalizing was associated with a 2-fold increase in meeting cutoff scores.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%