Introduction
On 4 August 2020 a large explosion in the dockside area of Beirut, Lebanon killed more than 180 people and injured thousands. As many as 300,000 people have been made homeless by the blast. The explosion occurred at a time when Lebanon was experiencing an economic crisis, political unrest and the impact of COVID-19.
Australia has long had close ties with Lebanon and many Lebanese Australians will be affected by these events. This fact sheet provides information for mental health professionals and other service providers working with Lebanese Australians in NSW.
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Lebanese community in NSW
Demographics
- In 2016 there were 57,375 people in New South Wales born in Lebanon.
- The majority of Lebanon-born people speak Arabic at home (88.4%) followed by English (8%). 20.6% of people born in Lebanon report speaking English not well or not at all.
- 3.2% of the population born in Lebanon were children (under 19 years of age), 30.4% were young adults (aged 20 to 44 years), and 66.4% were older adults (aged 45 years and over).
- The majority religion amongst Lebanon-born is Islam (43.3%), followed by Maronite Catholic (18.5%) and Western (Roman) Catholic (18.2%).
- The majority of the Lebanon-born population in NSW lived in Sydney, in City of Canterbury Bankstown (19,817), Cumberland Council (10,586), Liverpool City (4,175), Bayside Council (2,896) and Strathfield Council (650).
- In 2016 there were 166,594 people in New South Wales with Lebanese ancestry.
http://multiculturalnsw.id.com.au/multiculturalnsw/birthplace-introduction?COIID=5014
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Lebanese Migration to Australia
There have been three main waves of immigration from Lebanon to Australia. From 1880 to the 1920s, mainly Maronite, Melkite and Orthodox Christians arrived on a small scale. Significant numbers of their families served in Australian forces during World War I. Between 1947 and 1975, about 43,000 Lebanese settlers and their families arrived in Australia, establishing many small and large businesses. From 1975 onwards, Arabic-speaking Muslim refugees and others arrived after fleeing the Lebanese Civil War. Many came under the Australian Government’s Special Humanitarian Program.
Excerpts from Jupp, J. (Ed.) the Australian People. (2001) Cambridge University Press. Cited in Multicultural NSW, Community Profiles, Lebanese Ancestry.
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Lebanese Culture
SBS Cultural Atlas ‘Lebanese Culture’
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Mental Health
As a result of the explosion Lebanese Australians may be experiencing a sense of grief and loss. Many will be concerned about family and friends in Lebanon. Some may feel angry and fearful. With the proliferation of social media many Lebanese Australians will be exposed to distressing images and reports about the tragedy. These feelings of distress are normal and for most people they will pass however for those who are directly impacted, have family directly involved or have past experience of trauma the impact may be long lasting. It is also important to recognise that the explosion occurred against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other social, political and economic issues that Lebanon has been experiencing for a considerable period of time.
The Lebanese community in NSW is diverse and there are a range of factors that influence mental well-being and mental health service utilisation for Lebanese Australians. These include:
- Experience of war, family loss and other traumatic events
- Acculturative stress such as language barriers, adjusting to an unfamiliar culture, employment challenges and financial disadvantage
- Social isolation and loneliness
- Discrimination and racism
- Lack of mental health literacy
- Stigma about mental illness
- Concerns about confidentiality and lack of trust in service providers
- Religion, family and community are sources of strength and resilience.
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Mental Health Literature
The following articles discuss some of the issues that may impact on the mental health of Lebanese Australians.
Where available we have provided links to the full-text of articles, for the full text of other articles please contact your hospital or local library.
- Al-Rawi, A. (2019) ‘Facebook and virtual nationhood: social media and the Arab Canadians community.’ AI & Soc 34, 559–571
- Abu-Ras, W. Et al. (2008) ‘The Imam’s Role in Mental Health Promotion: A Study at 22 Mosques in New York City’s Muslim Community’ Journal of Muslim Mental Health 3(2):155-176
- Azzi, Cynthia Georges (2019) ‘Virtual bereavement: how the Lebanese use Facebook to express grief’ M.A. – Faculty of Humanities, Notre Dame University, Louaize. A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Media Studies/Advertising’
- Blignault, I., Saab, H., Woodland, L., & Comino, E. (2019). 'Evaluation of the acceptability and clinical utility of an Arabic-language mindfulness CD in an Australian community setting.' Transcultural Psychiatry, 56(3), 552-568.
- Hourani, G. (2007). 'Lebanese diaspora and homeland relations'. Migration and Refugee Movements in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Kayrouz, R., et al. (2015). ‘Intergenerational and cross-cultural differences in emotional wellbeing, mental health service utilisation, treatment-seeking preferences and acceptability of psychological treatments for Arab Australians.’ International Journal of Social Psychiatry 61(5): 484-491.
- Kenny, S. et al; (2005) Arabic Communities and Well Being: Supports and Barriers to Social Connectedness: A Research Monograph Funded by a Grant from VicHealth. CCHR (Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights), Deakin University In partnership with Victorian Arabic Social Services.
- Khawaja, N.G. & Khawaja, S. (2016) ‘Acculturative issues of Muslims in Australia.’ Journal of Muslim Mental Health. 10(2).
- Lebanese Muslim Association (2019) Mental Health Needs of Muslim Adolescents in NSW - Executive Summary (PDF 632KB)
- Mazbouh-Moussa, R., & Ohtsuka, K. (2017). Cultural competence in working with the Arab Australian community: a conceptual review and the experience of the Arab Council Australia (ACA) gambling help counselling service. Asian Journal of Gambling Issues and Public Health, 7(1), 10.
- Moussa, M.M. and Bates, G.W. (2011) ‘A preliminary investigation of Lebanese students’ strategies for coping with stressful events’. Mental Health, Religion & Culture 14(5): 489-510
- Noubani, A., Diaconu, K., Ghandour, L., El Koussa, M., Loffreda, G., & Saleh, S. (2020). A community–based system dynamics approach for understanding factors affecting mental Health and Health seeking behaviors in Beirut and Beqaa regions of Lebanon. Globalization and health, 16, 1-13.
- Nguyen, H. T., & Connelly, L. B. (2018). 'Out of sight but not out of mind: Home countries' macroeconomic volatilities and immigrants' mental health.' Health economics, 27(1), 189-208
- Rayan, A. and M. Fawaz (2017). ‘Cultural misconceptions and public stigma against mental illness among Lebanese university students.’ Perspectives in Psychiatric Care
- Renzaho, A. M. N., et al’. (2011). ‘Parenting, role reversals and the preservation of cultural values among Arabic speaking migrant families in Melbourne, Australia’ International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(4), 416-424.
- Stuart, J. and Ward, C. (2018) ‘The relationships between religiosity, stress, and mental health for Muslim immigrant youth’ Mental Health, Religion & Culture 21(3): 246-261
- Youssef, J. and Deane, F. P. (2013) ‘Arabic-speaking religious leaders’ perceptions of the causes of mental illness and the use of medication for treatment.’ Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 47(11), 1041–1050.
- Youssef, J. and F. P. Deane (2006). ‘Factors influencing mental-health help-seeking in Arabic-speaking communities in Sydney, Australia.’ Mental Health, Religion & Culture 9(1): 43-66.
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Resources in Arabic
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Mental health screening tools in Arabic
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Further mental health resources in Arabic
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Lebanese Community Organisations
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Disclaimer: This profile aims to provide general information about the Lebanese Australian community. It is not exhaustive or prescriptive. The Lebanese community is diverse and this profile does not represent every individual from Lebanon or with Lebanese heritage. The profile will be continuously updated as new information comes to light.
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