# Mental Health of Psychologists During a Period of Cumulative Crises in Lebanon: The Predictive Role of Self-Esteem

## TL;DR

This study explores how Lebanese psychologists' mental health is affected by ongoing crises, finding that higher self-esteem is linked to better psychological well-being.

## Contribution

The study uniquely examines mental health among psychologists in Lebanon during a period of sociopolitical and economic crises.

## Key findings

- 44% of psychologists showed at least mild depressive symptoms, and 57% experienced moderate to high perceived stress.
- Self-esteem was found to be a significant predictor of lower depression, anxiety, and stress, and higher subjective well-being.
- Younger age, being unmarried, and lower income were identified as additional risk factors for poor mental health.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Since October 2019, Lebanon has faced continuous sociopolitical and economic instability. Clinical psychologists have played a central role in responding to rising mental health needs, yet little is known about their own psychological well-being. Methods: This study examined mental health outcomes among 157 certified psychologists (clinical and educational psychologists) working in Lebanon. A cross-sectional study was conducted with psychologists aged 30–53 years across all Lebanese governorates, who were recruited through snowball and word-of-mouth sampling. Participants completed validated measures of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (LAS-10), perceived stress (PSS-10), subjective well-being (WHO-5), eating attitudes (EAT-26), and self-esteem (A-SISE). Results: Results showed that 44% of participants reported at least mild depressive symptoms, 14% met criteria for anxiety, and 57% experienced moderate to high perceived stress, while most showed no risk for eating disorders. Bivariate and multivariate analyses identified self-esteem as a predictive factor, negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, and positively associated with subjective well-being. Additional risk factors included younger age, being unmarried, not having children, prior psychological history, health problems, lower income, and working as an educational rather than clinical psychologist. Conclusions: These findings highlight aspects of vulnerability among psychologists and underline the need for targeted interventions for at-risk groups. Strengthening self-esteem may contribute to enhancing clinicians’ mental health. However, these conclusions should be interpreted in light of several limitations, including the small sample size, the non-probability and gender-skewed nature of the sample, partly due to the relatively limited number of practicing psychologists in Lebanon.