Five Years after the Fort McMurray Wildfire: Prevalence and Correlates of Low Resilience

Abstract

Background: The Fort McMurray wildfire of 3 May 2016 was one of the most devastating natural disasters in Canadian history. Although resilience plays a crucial role in the daily functioning of individuals by acting as a protective shield that lessens the impact of disasters on their mental well-being, to date little is known about the long-term impact of wildfires on resilience and associated predictors of low resilience. Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of resilience among residents of Fort McMurray five years after the wildfires. Method: This was a quantitative cross-sectional study. A self-administered online survey which included standardized rating scales for resilience (BRS), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)(PCL-C) was used to determine the prevalence of resilience as well as its demographic, clinical, and wildfire-related predictors. The data were collected between 24 April and 2 June 2021 and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 using univariate analysis with a chi-squared test and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 186 residents completed the survey out of 249 who accessed the online survey, producing a response rate of 74.7%. Most of the respondents were females (85.5%, 159), above 40 years of age (81.6%, 80), employed (94.1%, 175), and in a relationship (71%, 132). Two variables—having had PTSD symptoms (OR= 2.85; 95% CI: 1.06–7.63), and age—were significant predictors of low resilience in our study. The prevalence of low resilience in our sample was 37.4% (4). Conclusion: Our results suggest that age and the presence of PTSD symptoms were the independent significant risk factors associated with low resilience five years after the Fort McMurray wildfire disaster. Further research is needed to enhance understanding of the pathways to resilience post-disaster to identify the robust predictors and provide appropriate interventions to the most vulnerable individuals and communities.

Evaluating Community Resilience and Associated Factors One Year after the Catastrophic Fort McMurray Flood

“…Previous studies agree with our finding, which suggested that increased social support protects against mental health effects, increases resilience, and improves coping post-natural disasters [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Low levels of social support are also associated with post-disaster psychological symptoms and mental health disorders [ 13 ].…”

Exploring the prevalence and predictors of low resilience and likely PTSD in residents of two provinces in Canada during the 2023 wildfires

“…The survey measured PTSD symptoms using the PTSD Checklist Civilian (PCL-C) ( 32 , 33 ), a self-report scale that measures PTSD presence and severity. The 17-item checklist corresponds to the PTSD symptoms as stated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV).…”

Predictors of individual mental health and psychological resilience after Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfires

“…Previous Australian research found higher bushfire exposure and stress were the main predictors of clinical levels of psychological distress 3–4 years after the 2009 Victorian Black Friday bushfire and remained important predictors 10 years later (Bryant et al, 2014, 2021). Age and higher PTSD symptoms predicted fewer positive resilience characteristics 5 years after the Canadian Fort McMurray Wildfire (Adu et al, 2022). In the year following the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, high levels of psychological distress were recorded (Usher et al, 2022), but predictors have not yet been identified.…”

“…These studies have often relied on small samples and lacked a comparison group. Factors predicting the absence of psychopathology or the presence of positive psychological outcomes include demographic characteristics such as being male, older, having higher education and higher income (Ikizer et al, 2016; Li et al, 2012; Ni et al, 2015; Silveira et al, 2021); the absence of pre-existing financial or clinical stressors (mental or physical health) (Adu et al, 2022; Ikizer et al, 2016; Ni et al, 2015); and experiencing lower disaster severity (Chan and Rhodes, 2014). Research has typically not assessed these predictors together to identify how they relate to both psychological distress and positive psychological outcomes, nor in the context of bushfires.…”