Effect of a 12- year siege on the quality of life of among university students in the Gaza Strip

Background Since the siege was imposed on the Gaza strip, the humanitarian situation was deteriorated to reach unprecedented level of poverty, economic hardship and social problems. This affected the general mental health and quality of life of the population significantly. This study aimed at assessing the impact of siege and quality of life among university students in the Gaza Strip. Method The study is a cross sectional study in which we have collected the data from 600 participants (274 men, 326 women) with average age 20.54 from four universities. We have collected demographic data, the impact of siege using Gaza Siege Checklist, and the quality of life using WHOQoL scale. Data was entered, cleared and analyzed using SPSS version 23 to assess the relationship between the impact of siege and quality of life. Results A total of 600 university students participated (45.6% men, 54.4% women; mean age 20.54 ± 1.69 years). Nearly half of the students (51.2% ± 21.8) reported moderate-to-severe negative impact from the 12-year siege, with significant gender differences (men: 58.3% ± 20.6; women: 45.1% ± 19.8; p < 0.05). The most affected domains of quality of life were general life satisfaction, social relationships, and environmental and financial resources, while health and mental well-being were less affected. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant negative associations between siege impact and life satisfaction (r = -0.195, p < 0.05), social relationships (r = -0.126, p < 0.05), and environmental/financial resources (r = -0.254, p < 0.05). Regression analysis confirmed that siege-related stressors significantly predicted lower overall quality of life (B = -0.107, p < 0.05). Conclusion Siege has impacted the lives of the participants significantly especially in their perspectives of the general satisfaction, the social life, and the environmental and financial resources.