Acute Mental Health Impacts and Mid-Term Symptom Trajectories Following Wildfire Exposure

This longitudinal cohort study examined acute and mid-term mental health impacts among 4346 survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California using a retrospective survey that asked participants to report symptoms at one, three, and six months post-wildfire. Forty-one percent of participants reported at least one mental health symptom three weeks after the wildfire. Mental health symptoms declined over the six-month follow-up. The mean number of mental health symptoms was 3.7 (95% CI, 3.3-4.1) at three weeks, 3.3 (3.0-3.7) at one month, 3.1 (2.8-3.4) at three months, and 2.7 (2.5-3.1) at six months. Among survivors reporting one or more symptoms, severe home damage was associated with a 1.6-fold higher number of mental health symptoms, preexisting mental health conditions and job loss due to the wildfire were each associated with 1.2-fold increase, and prior physical disabilities with a 1.1-fold increase. Loss of a family member or friend and living alone were also associated with a higher number of mental health symptoms, whereas both younger age (<18 years) and male sex were associated with fewer symptoms. Wildfire exposure is associated with increased mental health risks, particularly among those with preexisting conditions and significant fire-related losses.