Background: Burnout is a mental condition defined as a result of continuous and long-term stress exposure, particularly related to psychosocial factors at work. This paper aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Maslach Burnout Questionnaire (MBI-HSS) for validation of use in Lebanon, and to describe burnout and associated factors amongst nurses in Lebanon especially the gender and employment sector. Methods: The psychometric properties of the Arabic version of MBI-HSS were studied amongst a sample of 200 nurses. In this descriptive study, survey data were collected from private and public hospitals. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis. Results: The results indicated satisfactory reliability through internal consistency for all three scales of the MBI-HSS. The factor analysis was quite satisfactory. Most of staff had scores which indicated they were burnt out. Nearly three quarters (77.5%) reported emotional exhaustion, 36.0% reported depersonalization while almost one third (33.0%) experienced reduced personal accomplishment. Burnout increases for 30-39 years age groups. Married nurses had significantly higher emotional exhaustion. Depersonalization was highest among nurses in private sector, and personal accomplishment was highest among nurses in public sector. Depersonalization proved to be higher in night and rotating shift nurses. Depression, backache, and headache were predictors of burnout. Conclusion: Findings indicate that the main psychometric properties of reliability and validity of the Arabic version of MBI-HSS appear to be satisfactory. Burnout is particularly prominent and severe in the nurses working population. The implications of these findings for interventions that reduce burnout and promote nursing mental health are therefore in the interest of employers, governments and policy makers

Measuring and monitoring health related quality of life (HRQoL) in youth are important for both researchers and decision makers. During the time that young people are at university, many will encounter a number of academic, as well as social, emotional and psychological difficulties. The aims of this study are to: 1) assess the health related quality of life of youths using SF-36 questionnaire and its factor determinants, and 2) provide an objective basis for a health promotion structure. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in South Lebanon, in a population of 282 young university students attending a public university which is the largest and most widespread institution of higher education in Lebanon. Socioeconomic and lifestyle behaviors data were collected. Students’ HRQoL was measured using the SF-36 Health Survey. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 18.7 years (SD = 1.16), 80.1% were women, 64.5% were living in rural area. The proportion of current smokers was significantly greater among men than women (26.8% vs. 11.5%, p < 0.01). Water pipe was the main type of smoking. Education of the fathers had negatively influenced HRQoL. Younger age scored higher in Social Functioning and Role-Emotional; the area of residence had no influences on SF-36 scales scores. Females had poorer HRQoL than males especially in mental health scales. Smokers had low Vitality and Mental Health scores. Sedentary lifestyle was linked to a lower score of Physical Functioning (β = -5.16, 95% CI = -7.67 -2.65), and Vitality ( β= -5.85, 95% CI = -10.24 -1.45). The HRQoL of the students studying business and economics was higher than those studying health. Conclusion: Youths’ HRQoL is affected by socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics. Effective health-promoting actions, social support, and counseling services should be implemented in the campus and are a necessary step towards the main goal of improving ...

Introduction the nurses´ perception of their supervisors´ leadership styles has a substantial impact on their well-being. Effective leadership in health care is crucial in improving and enhancing the effectiveness of health care systems. This study aims to assess the leadership styles of nurse leaders as perceived by employees, and to explore the relationship between perceived leadership styles and the quality of life of nurses in Lebanese hospital settings. Methods it was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 and involved a sample of 250 nurses chosen randomly in eight hospitals. The survey included questions on socio-demographic and health-related characteristics, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X Short Form, and the Short Form Health Survey-12 V2 (SF-12v2). Results the managers used enough transformational leadership style, whereas they used fairly often transactional leadership. The Laissez-faire style was adopted from time to time by the managers. Male nurses perceive their managers as transformational significantly more than female nurses (2.94 vs. 2.73; p = 0.05). Transformational leadership style was statistically related to all scales scores of the SF-12v2 (p < 0.001) except the Social Functioning domain (p = 0.42). The transactional leadership style was associated with the Vitality scale scores (p < 0.001). The physical (p < 0.05) and Emotional Role (p < 0.001) and the mental health summary measure (p < 0.05) were lower in persons who perceived the leadership style of their manager as Laissez-faire. Conclusion this study highlights the existence of a positive effect of leadership styles in the wellbeing of nurses, and confirms that nursing management has been identified as a challenge in the Lebanese hospitals.

Summaryobjective To assess self-reported morbidity and its determining factors in South Lebanon, with an emphasis on the influence of the habitat location (urban vs. rural) and gender.methods Cross-sectional survey in 2000 among 524 South Lebanon residents ‡14 years sampled from a random sample of households using a multi-level cluster sampling technique. Data on self-reported morbidity, lifestyle and socioeconomic status were collected through interviews, using a standardized questionnaire. To evaluate deprivation, a new index was created; the modified 'Living Conditions Index'. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to test the effect of habitat and gender on self-reported morbidity.results People in one-fifth of the households lived in precarious conditions. Illiteracy was significantly higher in rural than urban settings. Urban residents reported obesity, varicose veins, anxiety ⁄ depression and visual disorders more often. Illiteracy, headaches, lumbar pain, varicose veins and anxiety ⁄ depression were more frequently reported by women, whereas ulcers, hearing disorders, cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors were more frequently reported by men. Precarious living conditions were associated with headaches, lumbar pains and insomnia. Individuals covered by a health insurance sought care more often than the uninsured.conclusion Habitat location had only a minor influence on self-reported morbidity; women perceived their health as poorer than men and a number of disease conditions were influenced by deprivation. Our study confirms that the epidemiological transition phenomenon had occurred in South Lebanon in 2000. Our community-based data can serve as a baseline for monitoring changes in health in South Lebanon in the future and especially those because of the war that emerged in July 2006.

Background:Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is recognized as an important health outcome measurement for pediatric patients. HRQOL in children is needed to gain a better understanding of the impact of public policies, interventions, therapies, and the prediction of health and social care need. In view of the lack of reliable HRQOL instruments for children in Arabic, the present study aims to translate the PedsQL TM 4.0 self-report and proxy-report for young child (aged 5 -7 years), and child (aged 8 -12 years), evaluate psychometric properties of the Arabic Lebanon version; and to evaluate HRQOL of children in rural and urban areas in Lebanon. Methods: PedsQL TM 4.0 was translated and adapted into Arabic using the standard approach provided by Varni J. W. The Arabic version was administered to a representative sample of 368 children aged 5 -12 years and their parents. The psychometric properties were then evaluated. Results: The rate of missing data for self-report and proxy-report was very low (0.51% and 0.46% of items). All child self-report, and parent proxy-report subscales exceeded the minimum reliability standard of 0.70 for alpha coefficient, except emotional subscale of young child self-report and proxy-report, and, the social subscale of child self-report (alphas ranging from 0.60 to 0.66). Factor analysis yielded patterns of factor correlation comparable to the original version. The emotional functioning of children is low, where most children feel afraid, sad, and angry. Children resident in rural areas had higher social scores than those in urban areas. The HRQOL of girls is higher than boys; Children undergoing treatment for cancer rated their HRQOL as poorer in all dimensions. Conclusions: The results support the validity of the PedsQL TM 4.0 self-report and proxy-report Arabic version. Habitat has a minor influence on HRQOL of children. Further psychometric evaluation in a larger sample of children, in other departments of Lebanon is recommended to provide firmer conclusions.