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Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD Among Southern California Residents After the January 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires
Ryan Lee1, Jennifer B Unger1, Daniel W Soto1
1https://ror.org/03taz7m60University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Objectives:
The January 2025 Los Angeles wildland-urban interface wildfires represent a significant environmental disaster, resulting in widespread evacuations. Beyond the immediate physical and economic devastation, wildfires can have profound and lasting impacts on the mental well-being of affected populations. This study compared mental health outcomes between Southern California residents who evacuated due to the fires and those who did not evacuate.
Methods:
Southern California residents (N = 739) were surveyed 2-3 months after the January 2025 wildfires. Logistic regression models assessed the association of evacuation status with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, adjusting for demographics and baseline pre-fire levels of depression and anxiety.
Results:
Evacuating was significantly associated with higher odds of depression (AOR = 1.75 [1.08-2.85]) and PTSD (AOR = 2.44 [1.36-4.35]), after controlling for pre-fire mental health status and other demographic covariates. Evacuation status was not associated with anxiety.
Conclusions:
These findings support previous research linking wildfire exposure to adverse mental health outcomes and highlight the importance of targeted mental health screening and support for wildfire evacuees, who are at increased risk for depression and PTSD.
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