Assessing the psychological impact of COVID-19 outbreak and its related factors on Lebanese individuals with physical disabilities

Summaka, Marwa; Zein, Hiba; Naim, Ibrahim; Fneish, Sleiman

BACKGROUND: In February 2020, the Lebanese authorities announced the first Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) case. Since then, the cases increased significantly, but information on the public’s psychological status and specifically individuals with physical disabilities is still limited. PURPOSE: The study aims to assess the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Lebanese individuals with physical disabilities and study the associated factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving 118 individuals with physical disabilities. Each filled out an online survey with three sections: a personal questionnaire, the Arabic versions of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 and the Fear of COVID-19 scale. Data regarding participants’ baseline characteristics, fear, anxiety, and depression were collected and analyzed using the Chi-square test and regressions models. RESULTS: Individuals with physical disabilities exhibited mild fear of COVID-19, with fear being correlated with age, educational level, and employment status. Furthermore, 22.9% of the population was found to be anxious, and 31.5% were depressed. Anxiety was associated with both marital status and employment status. Finally, depression was proved to be influenced by marital status, employment, and educational level. CONCLUSION: Results extracted showed that individuals with physical disabilities require substantial attention in order to manage their psychological state during pandemics.