Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt
Abstract Background Exposure to unfavorable environmental circumstances including conflicts and wars increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health disturbances. Prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and stress disorders were two- to three-fold higher between people exposed to war or those...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03032-0 |
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| author | Nadira Mansour Hassan Rabab Ahmed Hammad Amira Ahmed Abd El karem |
| author_facet | Nadira Mansour Hassan Rabab Ahmed Hammad Amira Ahmed Abd El karem |
| author_sort | Nadira Mansour Hassan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Exposure to unfavorable environmental circumstances including conflicts and wars increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health disturbances. Prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and stress disorders were two- to three-fold higher between people exposed to war or those interested in war news. Objectives To explore prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among Tanta University students and their parents representing different Egyptian generations, and to identify associated and predicting factors of severity and their effect on study or work performance. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from undergraduate medical students at Tanta University and their parents by using random cluster sampling technique. The study included 100 medical students and 200 parents. A self-administrated questionnaire was used, which included sociodemographic data, DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale) to measure levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Also, the questionnaire included a part to assess the effect of war on studying /or work performance. Multiple logistic regression was used to detect predictors of severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress. The value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Results Females constituted 79.0% of the student sample. All students and most fathers and mothers reported regularly following war news, with social media being the most frequently used source, especially among students. Symptoms of depression were reported by 97.0% of students, 77.0% of mothers, and 65.0% of fathers. Anxiety and stress were reported by approximately two-thirds of students, 51.0% of mothers, and 45.0% of fathers. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified frequent exposure to war news as a shared significant predictor of severe and extremely severe levels of depression (p = 0.004), anxiety, and stress (p < 0.001). Additionally, young age (p < 0.001) and female sex (p = 0.023) were significant predictors of depression, while urban residence was significantly associated with severe anxiety (p = 0.007). Students’ motivation to study and study hours were affected to some degree but among most parents, work performance was not affected (p < 0.001). Conclusion The mental health of people in a country outside of war can also be significantly affected by war and its news. The students representing the younger generation were following war news frequently and were the worst affected generation. Thus, these findings highlight the importance of mental health screening and early intervention in populations not directly exposed to war but affected through media consumption, particularly across different generations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-90ef5695ded3447aa07b4030c7e1e644 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-90ef5695ded3447aa07b4030c7e1e6442025-08-20T04:01:43ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-07-0113111210.1186/s40359-025-03032-0Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in EgyptNadira Mansour Hassan0Rabab Ahmed Hammad1Amira Ahmed Abd El karem2Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Community Medicine, Tanta UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Public Health and Community Medicine, Tanta UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Public Health and Community Medicine, Tanta UniversityAbstract Background Exposure to unfavorable environmental circumstances including conflicts and wars increases people’s risk of experiencing mental health disturbances. Prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and stress disorders were two- to three-fold higher between people exposed to war or those interested in war news. Objectives To explore prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among Tanta University students and their parents representing different Egyptian generations, and to identify associated and predicting factors of severity and their effect on study or work performance. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from undergraduate medical students at Tanta University and their parents by using random cluster sampling technique. The study included 100 medical students and 200 parents. A self-administrated questionnaire was used, which included sociodemographic data, DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale) to measure levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Also, the questionnaire included a part to assess the effect of war on studying /or work performance. Multiple logistic regression was used to detect predictors of severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress. The value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Results Females constituted 79.0% of the student sample. All students and most fathers and mothers reported regularly following war news, with social media being the most frequently used source, especially among students. Symptoms of depression were reported by 97.0% of students, 77.0% of mothers, and 65.0% of fathers. Anxiety and stress were reported by approximately two-thirds of students, 51.0% of mothers, and 45.0% of fathers. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified frequent exposure to war news as a shared significant predictor of severe and extremely severe levels of depression (p = 0.004), anxiety, and stress (p < 0.001). Additionally, young age (p < 0.001) and female sex (p = 0.023) were significant predictors of depression, while urban residence was significantly associated with severe anxiety (p = 0.007). Students’ motivation to study and study hours were affected to some degree but among most parents, work performance was not affected (p < 0.001). Conclusion The mental health of people in a country outside of war can also be significantly affected by war and its news. The students representing the younger generation were following war news frequently and were the worst affected generation. Thus, these findings highlight the importance of mental health screening and early intervention in populations not directly exposed to war but affected through media consumption, particularly across different generations.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03032-0WarMental healthDepressionAnxietyStressDASS-21 |
| spellingShingle | Nadira Mansour Hassan Rabab Ahmed Hammad Amira Ahmed Abd El karem Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt BMC Psychology War Mental health Depression Anxiety Stress DASS-21 |
| title | Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt |
| title_full | Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt |
| title_short | Effect of Gaza war on the mental health of different generations in Egypt |
| title_sort | effect of gaza war on the mental health of different generations in egypt |
| topic | War Mental health Depression Anxiety Stress DASS-21 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03032-0 |
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