Background Medicine is an incredibly demanding career that appears to leave many medical students at risk of fatigue, anxiety, depression and burnout. Since adaptation and lifestyle changes are important, quality of life (QOL) of students during medical school could be impaired. Personality traits and emotional intelligence (EI) facets may be both linked to medical student’s QOL. To our knowledge, no studies have been done on the concurrent and prospective relationship between QOL-related personality traits and EI in Lebanese medical students. This study aimed to investigate the role of EI as a mediator between personality traits and QOL among a sample of Lebanese medical students. Methods This research is a descriptive cross-sectional survey study involving 293 Lebanese medical students recruited from all 7 Faculties of Medicine in Lebanon (June–December 2019). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using SPSS AMOS v.24 to examine the structural relationship between each personality trait taken as independent variables, QOL as the dependent variable, and emotional intelligence as the mediator, among university students. The relative Chi-square (χ2/df), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) statistic, Tucker Lewis Index (TFI) and the comparative fit index (CFI) were used to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the model. Results Higher conscientiousness was significantly associated with more EI (Beta = 0.38; p < 0.001) and lower QOL (Beta = − 0.14; p = 0.025). The indirect relationships between conscientiousness, EI and QOL showed that EI mediated the association between conscientiousness and QOL (Beta = 0.17; 95% CI − 0.73 to − 0.004; p = 0.037). The fit indices of this model were adequate for χ2/df, RMSEA and CFI but not TLI. Higher openness to experience was significantly associated with more EI (Beta = 0.48; p < 0.001) and lower QOL (Beta = − 0.38; p < 0.001). The indirect relationships between openness to experience, EI and QOL showed that EI mediated the association between openness to experience and QOL (Beta = 0.30; 95% CI − 1.11 to − 0.03; p = 0.04). The fit indices were adequate for χ2/df and CFI but not RMSEA and TLI. EI did not mediate the association between the other three personality traits (extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism) and QOL. Conclusion This current research has shed considerable light on the nexus of associations between EI, personality traits and well-being, nonetheless, led to the creation of more puzzling questions. On the whole, it seems that EI and its components can be used as an evaluation instrument in relates with Lebanese medical students’ personality profile as a means of future training to improve quality of life during medical education.

Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability on a global scale. Most clinicians tend to underestimate the importance of diet and inadequate or dysfunctional eating attitudes in patients with a complicated relationship with food. Concerned about the potential of an independent Lebanese approach, and also because prior international research has revealed a link between eating intake or choice and ischemic stroke risk, it was considered vital to broaden the scope of the literature and evaluate further the association of disordered eating attitudes and focus on the distinct relationship with food in the case of orthorexia nervosa (ON) in the Lebanese community. Consequently, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the potential association between pre-existing disordered eating attitudes, specifically ON, and ischemic stroke risk, with an emphasis on the evidence supporting a Mediterranean-style diet. Methods: This research is a case-control survey study involving 113 Lebanese individuals with ischemic stroke and 451 age-(within 5 years) and sex-matched controls recruited from several hospitals in Lebanon (April 2020–April 2021). Results: According to the findings of our first regression model, living 100 m from a crowded road (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.421, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.585–7.387), living 100 m from an electricity generator (aOR: 3.686, 95% CI: 1.681–8.085), higher waterpipe dependence (aOR: 1.204, 95% CI: 1.117–1.297), higher exposure to passive smoking (aOR: 2.651, 95% CI: 2.051–3.426), being married (aOR: 3.545, 95% CI: 1.297–9.689), having a low educational attainment (aOR: 0.239, 95% CI: 0.084–0.679), vigorous physical activity (aOR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.001–1.006), and having more inappropriate eating (aOR: 1.040, 95% CI: 1.006–1.074) were all associated with higher odds of having ischemic stroke. Furthermore, atrial fibrillation (aOR: 2.945, 95% CI: 1.010–8.585), diabetes (aOR: 2.550, 95% CI: 1.169–5.561), heart diseases (aOR: 6.193, 95% CI: 2.196–17.463), and hypertension (aOR: 2.744, 95% CI: 1.049–7.180) were also linked to an increased risk of stroke. Moreover, having more orthorexia nervosa tendencies (aOR: 1.123, 95% CI: 1.021–1.235) was related to a higher odds of having an ischemic stroke, whereas better adherence to the MeD was significantly linked (aOR: 0.691, 95% CI: 0.583–0.819) to lower odds of ischemic stroke. Conclusions: Ischemic stroke patients were more likely to have disordered eating attitudes and orthorexic behaviors. Furthermore, the MeD has been found to be beneficial in reducing ischemic stroke risk. Despite the study’s focus, outdoor pollution, waterpipe dependence, and passive smoking were linked to ischemic stroke. In summary, this review suggests that improving one’s nutritional status and making a few lifestyle changes are key stroke prevention and treatment methods.

Background The idea that attachment styles can affect the level of anger in an individual educes a reason why people develop anger issues and behavioral problems in adolescence that escalate into adulthood. Lebanon suffers from a shortage of data pertaining to insecure attachment styles and the affective and cognitive aspects of anger and behavioral anger expression among the Lebanese youth population. This study aimed to investigate the association between attachment dimensions and anger expression (trait anger, hostility, physical aggression, and verbal aggression) among a sample of Lebanese adolescent participants. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed between January and May 2019 among 1810 Lebanese high-school students aged 12–18 and used two validated measures, the Adolescent-Relationship Questionnaire (A-RQ) and The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). The A-RQ assessed attachment behaviors, while the BPAQ evaluated aggression. Results Higher fearful and dismissing attachment styles, and higher physical activity index were significantly associated with higher physical and verbal aggression. A higher fearful attachment style was significantly associated with more anger. A higher secure attachment style was significantly associated with less anger. Higher preoccupied and dismissing attachment styles were significantly associated with higher hostility. Conclusion Our findings revealed a significant relationship between both insecure attachment dimensions and the tripartite model of anger expression. This study adds to the anger literature by providing a more informed understanding of how variations in anger expression are linked to the processing of interpersonal interactions, which are the hidden facets of attachment systems.

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. There are numerous debates regarding the relationship between depression, anxiety, insomnia, perceived stress, and ischemic stroke. Moreover, no research on the efficacy of emotion regulation, which is critical for various components of healthy affective and social adaptability, is being conducted. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in the MENA region to shed light on the relationship between these conditions and stroke risk, aiming to determine whether depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, and the way of coping with emotions may be risk factors for ischemic stroke occurrence and to further investigate the ability of two specific types of emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) as possible moderators of the relationship between these psychological diseases and ischemic stroke risk. As a secondary objective, we sought to determine how these pre-existing conditions affect stroke severity levels.MethodsThis is a case–control survey study involving 113 Lebanese inpatients with a clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke admitted in hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, and 451 gender-matched volunteers without clinical signs of stroke as controls recruited from the same hospitals as the cases or attending outpatient clinics for illnesses or treatments unconnected to stroke or transient ischemic attack, as well as visitors or relatives of inpatients (April 2020–April 2021). Data was collected by filling out an anonymous paper-based questionnaire.ResultsAccording to the outcomes of the regression model, depression (aOR: 1.232, 95%CI: 1.008–1.506), perceived stress (aOR: 1.690, 95%CI: 1.413–2.022), a lower educational level (aOR: 0.335, 95%CI: 0.011–10.579), and being married (aOR: 3.862, 95%CI: 1.509–9.888) were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. The moderation analysis revealed that expressive suppression had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between depression, anxiety, perceived stress, insomnia, and ischemic stroke risk, resulting in an increased risk of stroke incidence. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal significantly reduced the risk of ischemic stroke by moderating the association between ischemic stroke risk and the following independent variables: perceived stress and insomnia. On the other hand, our multinomial regression model revealed that the odds of moderate to severe/severe stroke were significantly higher in people with pre-stroke depression (aOR: 1.088, 95% CI: 0.747–1.586) and perceived stress (aOR: 2.564, 95% CI: 1.604–4.100) compared to people who had never had a stroke.ConclusionDespite several limitations, the findings of our study suggest that people who are depressed or stressed are more likely to have an ischemic stroke. Consequently, additional research into the causes and effects of depression and perceived stress may provide new directions for preventive strategies that can help reduce the risk of stroke. Since pre-stroke depression and perceived stress were also found to be strongly correlated with stroke severity, future studies should evaluate the association between pre-stroke depression, perceived stress, and stroke severity to gain a deeper understanding of the complex interaction between these variables. Lastly, the study shed new light on the role of emotion regulation in the relationship between depression, anxiety, perceived stress, insomnia, and ischemic stroke.

Background: Stroke remains a major leading cause of morbidity and death globally. For ischemic stroke, the most frequent type of stroke, there are numerous risk models and risk assessments offered. Further research into potential risk factors or triggers is being sought to improve stroke risk models. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and alcohol use disorder are all common causes of serious mental illnesses in the general population. Due to the tangled relationship between stroke and many chronic illnesses, lifestyle factors, and diet that may be present in a patient with a mental disease, the relationship between mental diseases and stroke requires further validation. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to assess the potential influence of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and alcohol use disorder on stroke patients as compared to non-stroke participants, after controlling for demographic, physical, and medical conditions. We aimed, as a secondary objective, to evaluate the impact of these pre-existing disorders on stroke severity levels. Methods: This research is a case-control survey study involving 113 Lebanese patients with a clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke and 451 gender-matched volunteers without clinical signs of stroke as controls recruited from several hospitals in Lebanon (April 2020–April 2021). Based on the participant’s consent, data was collected by filling out an anonymous paper-based questionnaire. Results: All of the odds ratios (ORs) generated by our regression model were greater than 1, indicating that the factors studied were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. As such having schizophrenia (adjusted OR [aOR]: 6.162, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.136–33.423), bipolar disorder (aOR: 4.653, 95% CI: 1.214–17.834), alcohol use disorder (aOR: 3.918, 95% CI: 1.584–9.689), atrial fibrillation (aOR: 2.415, 95% CI: 1.235–4.721), diabetes (aOR: 1.865, 95% CI: 1.117–3.115), heart diseases (aOR: 9.890, 95% CI: 5.099–19.184), and asthma-COPD (aOR: 1.971, 95% CI: 1.190–3.263) were all involved with a high risk of developing an ischemic stroke. Moreover, obesity (aOR: 1.732, 95% CI: 1.049–2.861) and vigorous physical activity (aOR: 4.614, 95% CI: 2.669–7.978) were also linked to an increased risk of stroke. Moreover, our multinomial regression model revealed that the odds of moderate to severe/severe stroke were significantly higher in people with pre-stroke alcohol use disorder (aOR: 1.719, 95% CI: 1.385–2.133), bipolar disorder (aOR: 1.656, 95% CI: 1.281–2.141), and schizophrenia (aOR: 6.884, 95% CI: 3.294–11.492) compared to people who had never had a stroke. Conclusion: The findings in our study suggest that individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and alcohol use disorder may be at a higher risk for ischemic stroke and exhibit more severe symptoms. We believe that the first step toward creating beneficial preventative and treatment interventions is determining individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or alcohol use disorder, assessing their risk of ischemic stroke, developing more integrated treatments, and closely monitoring the long-term outcome in the event of an ischemic stroke.