Negative news and its impact on the mental health of Lebanese people

Abstract

This thesis examines the connection between Lebanese people’s news reading habits during times of ongoing social stress and mental health. In order to examine the effects of various forms of news engagement, both digital and conventional, on psychological well-being markers like anxiety, stress, and sleep quality, the study used a quantitative approach. 102 individuals completed structured questionnaires and provided open-ended answers. Standardized measures including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were employed. The findings showed that people who spent three to four hours a day consuming news mostly from social media sites experienced anxiety and discomfort. Consuming news during a crisis was found to have a strong temporal psychological signature, with exposure to crisis-related content being linked to an increase in anxiety levels. Three main themes emerged from the study: prolonged news exposure as a stressor, different coping mechanisms ranging from completely avoiding news to structured consumption patterns, and news consumption as a double-edged sword of information necessity and mental health damage. The findings show that while traditional media still has an impact, social media algorithms expose users to more crisis-related content, which may lead to increased psychological discomfort. Through this study, one advances knowledge of the intricate relationships between media consumption and mental health in crisis situations, emphasizing the value of media literacy training and mental health interventions.