A Qualitative Investigation of University Students’ Experience of the Beirut Port Explosion

Abstract

The Beirut port explosion on the 4^th of August 2020 added to the struggles of the Lebanese people who were facing a financial crisis, a global pandemic, and political unrest. We hypothesized that these compounded challenges would have significant psychological implications on emerging adults, including university students, already vulnerable to life’s transitions involving self-discovery and independence. This qualitative study sought to investigate university students’ experience of the Beirut port explosion. An online survey with two open-ended questions was administered between December 11, 2020 and January 14, 2021 in a private university with two campuses. Thematic analysis of 1,044 data items revealed four themes: (1) Experiencing emotional upheaval, (2) Realizing the fragility of life, (3) Overcoming adversity, and (4) Changing one’s outlook on life. Responses revealed a number of emotions with a keenly negative valence. The collective’s role in fostering social support was evident through decreased fearful reactions. Many lost trust in the judicial system and favored emigration over standing for justice. The limited requests for retribution are likely due to a sense of impunity and adaptation to cumulative trauma. We suggest that this adaptation offers a clearer understanding of life’s purpose despite its frailty. The role of impunity and social support in influencing healing warrants further research.

Keywords:

• Beirut port explosion
• emerging adults
• perceived social support
• impunity
• cumulative trauma

Authors’ contributions

EI: Data Analysis, Manuscript Writing- Original Draft and Revision; FC: Data Analysis, Manuscript Writing- Original Draft and Revision; MA: Data Analysis, Manuscript Writing- Original Draft and Revision; KS: Data Analysis, Manuscript Writing- Original Draft; CB: Conceptualization, Design, Methodology; Participant Recruitment; Data Collection, Data Analysis, Manuscript Writing- Original Draft and Revision; Supervision and Oversight; Project Coordination

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [CB], upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors

Ethical approval

Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Lebanese American University (IRB#: LAU.SOM.CB8.6/Nov/2020).