Differences in Anxiety, Insomnia, and Trauma Symptoms in Wildfire Survivors from Australia, Canada, and the United States of America-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Differences in Anxiety, Insomnia, and Trauma Symptoms in Wildfire Survivors from Australia, Canada, and the United States of America

Published:2023-12-27 Issue:1 Volume:21 Page:38
ISSN:1660-4601
Container-title:International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
language:en
Short-container-title:IJERPH

Author:

Isaac Fadia¹^ORCID,Toukhsati Samia R.¹,Klein Britt²³^ORCID,Di Benedetto Mirella⁴,Kennedy Gerard A.¹⁵⁶^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University, Mt Helen, VIC 3350, Australia

2. Health Innovation and Transformation Centre, Federation University, Mt Helen, VIC 3350, Australia

3. Biopsychosocial & eHealth Research & Innovation (BeRI) Hub, Federation University, Mt Helen, VIC 3350, Australia

4. Australian Centre for Heart Health, North Melbourne, VIC 3051, Australia

5. School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3083, Australia

6. Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Melbourne, VIC 3084, Australia

Abstract

Many survivors of wildfires report elevated levels of psychological distress following the trauma of wildfires. However, there is only limited research on the effects of wildfires on mental health. This study examined differences in anxiety, depression, insomnia, sleep quality, nightmares, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following wildfires in Australia, Canada, and the United States of America (USA). One hundred and twenty-six participants from Australia, Canada, and the USA completed an online survey. The sample included 102 (81%) women, 23 (18.3%) men, and one non-binary (0.8%) individual. Participants were aged between 20 and 92 years (M age = 52 years, SD = 14.4). They completed a demographic questionnaire, the Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and PTSD Checklist (PCL-5). Results showed that participants from the USA scored significantly higher on the GAD-7 (p = 0.009), ISI (p = 0.003), and PCL-5 (p = 0.021) than participants from Australia and Canada. The current findings suggest a need for more international collaboration to reduce the severity of mental health conditions in Australia, Canada, and the USA.

Funder

Natural Hazards Research Australia

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Link

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/1/38/pdf

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