Psychological Symptoms Among Evacuees From the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfires: A Population-Based Survey One Year Later
Abstract
Background: The 2016 wildfires in Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada) led to a massive
displacement of 88,000 people and destroyed 2,400 homes. Although no direct human
fatality resulted, many individuals feared for their lives or those of their loved ones.
Objectives: (1) To estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress, major depressive,
insomnia, generalized anxiety, and substance use disorders in the adult population of
Fort McMurray 1 year after the evacuation; (2) To identify pre-, peri-, and post-disaster
correlates of mental health disorders.
Methods: A phone survey using random digit sampling was used to survey evacuees. A
total of 1,510 evacuees (response rate = 40.2%, 55.5% women, mean age = 44.11, SD
= 12.69) were interviewed between May 9th and July 28th, 2017. Five validated scales
were administered: the PTSD Symptoms Checklist (PCL-5), the Insomnia Severity Index
(ISI), the depression and anxiety subscales of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9,
GAD-7), and the CAGE Substance Abuse Screening Tool.
Results: One year after the wildfires, 38% had a probable diagnosis of either posttraumatic
stress, major depressive, insomnia, generalized anxiety, or substance use
disorder, or a combination of these. Insomnia disorder was the most common, with an
estimated prevalence of 28.5%. Post-traumatic stress,major depressive and generalized
anxiety disorders were almost equally prevalent, with 15% each. The estimated
prevalence of substance use disorder was 7.9%. For all five mental health disorders,
having a mental health condition prior to the fires was a significant risk factor, as well as
having experienced financial stress or strain due to the economic decline already present
in Fort McMurray. Five post-disaster consequences were significant predictors of four of
the five disorders: decrease in work, decrease in social life, poorer current health status,
increase in drug and alcohol use, and higher level of stress experienced since the fires.
Conclusion: One year after the fires, more than one third of the evacuees had clinically
significant psychological symptoms, including those of insomnia, post-traumatic stress,
depression, anxiety, and substance use. This study helped identify individuals more
at risk for mental health issues after a natural disaster and could guide post-disaster
psychosocial support strategies.
Auteurs : Belleville, G., Ouellet, M-C., Lebel, J., Ghosh, S., Morin, C. M., Bouchard, S., Guay, S., Bergeron, N., Campbell, T., et MacMaster, F. P.
