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.