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Long-Term Mental Health Effects of a Devastating Wildfire Are Amplified by Sociodemographic and Clinical Antecedents in College Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2020

Amanda Ritchie ,
Brenda Sautner ,
Joy Omege ,
Edward Denga ,
Bernard Nwaka ,
Idowu Akinjise ,
Sandra E. Corbett ,
Shahram Moosavi ,
Andrew Greenshaw  and
Pierre Chue
...Show all authors
Amanda Ritchie
Affiliation:
Saint James School of Medicine, Anguilla, Park Ridge, IL
Brenda Sautner
Affiliation:
Keyano College, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
Joy Omege
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Alberta Health Services, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
Edward Denga
Affiliation:
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Bernard Nwaka
Affiliation:
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Idowu Akinjise
Affiliation:
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Sandra E. Corbett
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
Shahram Moosavi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Andrew Greenshaw
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Pierre Chue
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Xin-Min Li
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Vincent I. O Agyapong*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Vincent Agyapong, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, 1E1 Walter Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre (WMC), 8440 112 St. NW, Edmonton, ABT6G 2B7, Canada (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to assess prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in students of Keyano College 18 months after a wildfire and to determine the predictors of likely MDD, GAD, and PTSD in the respondents.

Methods:

A quantitative cross-sectional survey was used to collect data through self-administered, paper-based questionnaires to determine likely MDD, GAD, and PTSD using the PHQ 9, GAD-7, and the PTSD Checklist for DSM 5, Part 3, respectively. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 20 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) using univariate analysis with chi-square tests.

Results:

Eighteen months after the wildfire, the 1-month prevalence rates for MDD, GAD, and PTSD among the college students were 23.4%, 18.7%, and 11.0%, respectively. There were statistically significant associations between multiple sociodemographic variables and the likelihood respondents presented with MDD, GAD, and PTSD 18 months after the wildfire. There were also associations between the likely MDD, GAD, and PTSD and abuse/dependence on alcohol and substances in respondents at 18 months.

Conclusion:

Our study has established prevalence rates for MDD, GAD, and PTDS among college students 18 months after the Fort McMurray wildfires. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of college-based mental health interventions on the long-term mental health effects of the wildfires.

Keywords

alcohol Fort McMurrayanxietydepressiondrugsPTSDwildfires
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 15 , Issue 6 , December 2021 , pp. 707 - 717
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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