Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study
Introduction Fort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumas in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen months after the wildfire, major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:079c12a536014c22b8280e51b5b1ad0b 2023-11-12T04:17:15+01:00 Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study B. Agyapong E. Eboreime R. Shalaby H. Pazderka G. Obuobi-Donkor M. Adu W. Mao F. Oluwasina E. Owusu A. Greenshaw V. Agyapong 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2013 https://doaj.org/article/079c12a536014c22b8280e51b5b1ad0b EN eng Cambridge University Press https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823020138/type/journal_article https://doaj.org/toc/0924-9338 https://doaj.org/toc/1778-3585 doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2013 0924-9338 1778-3585 https://doaj.org/article/079c12a536014c22b8280e51b5b1ad0b European Psychiatry, Vol 66, Pp S949-S950 (2023) Psychiatry RC435-571 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2013 2023-10-29T00:41:09Z Introduction Fort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumas in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen months after the wildfire, major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms were elevated among school board employees in the city. Objectives This study aimed to compare employees of the school board and other employees of Fort McMurray in respect to the impact the 2016 wildfires, the 2019 COVID pandemic, and the 2020 floods had on their mental health. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Fort McMurray from 24 April to 2 June 2021. Online questionnaires were administered through REDCap and were designed to capture socio-demographic characteristics, clinical as well as wildfire, COVID-19, and flooding-related variables. Mental health outcome variables were captured using self-reported standardized assessment scales. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square/Fisher’s Exact tests, and binary regression analysis. Results Of the 249 residents who accessed the online survey, 186 completed the survey, giving a response rate of 74.7%. Of these respondents, 93.5% (174) indicated their employment status and were included in the Chi-square analysis. Most of the respondents were female (86.2%, (150)), above 40 years (53.4%, (93)), and were in a relationship (71.3%, (124)). The prevalence values for MDD, GAD and PTSD among respondents were 42.4%, 41.0, and 36.8%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between employees of the school board and other employees with respect to likely PTSD prevalence (28% vs. 45%, respectively, p < 0.05), although with other factors controlled for, in a binary logistic regression model, employer type did not significantly predict likely PTSD. Conclusions The study has established that likely PTSD symptoms were significantly higher in other employees ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Fort McMurray Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles European Psychiatry 66 S1 S949 S950 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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Psychiatry RC435-571 |
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Psychiatry RC435-571 B. Agyapong E. Eboreime R. Shalaby H. Pazderka G. Obuobi-Donkor M. Adu W. Mao F. Oluwasina E. Owusu A. Greenshaw V. Agyapong Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study |
topic_facet |
Psychiatry RC435-571 |
description |
Introduction Fort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumas in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen months after the wildfire, major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms were elevated among school board employees in the city. Objectives This study aimed to compare employees of the school board and other employees of Fort McMurray in respect to the impact the 2016 wildfires, the 2019 COVID pandemic, and the 2020 floods had on their mental health. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Fort McMurray from 24 April to 2 June 2021. Online questionnaires were administered through REDCap and were designed to capture socio-demographic characteristics, clinical as well as wildfire, COVID-19, and flooding-related variables. Mental health outcome variables were captured using self-reported standardized assessment scales. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square/Fisher’s Exact tests, and binary regression analysis. Results Of the 249 residents who accessed the online survey, 186 completed the survey, giving a response rate of 74.7%. Of these respondents, 93.5% (174) indicated their employment status and were included in the Chi-square analysis. Most of the respondents were female (86.2%, (150)), above 40 years (53.4%, (93)), and were in a relationship (71.3%, (124)). The prevalence values for MDD, GAD and PTSD among respondents were 42.4%, 41.0, and 36.8%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between employees of the school board and other employees with respect to likely PTSD prevalence (28% vs. 45%, respectively, p < 0.05), although with other factors controlled for, in a binary logistic regression model, employer type did not significantly predict likely PTSD. Conclusions The study has established that likely PTSD symptoms were significantly higher in other employees ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
B. Agyapong E. Eboreime R. Shalaby H. Pazderka G. Obuobi-Donkor M. Adu W. Mao F. Oluwasina E. Owusu A. Greenshaw V. Agyapong |
author_facet |
B. Agyapong E. Eboreime R. Shalaby H. Pazderka G. Obuobi-Donkor M. Adu W. Mao F. Oluwasina E. Owusu A. Greenshaw V. Agyapong |
author_sort |
B. Agyapong |
title |
Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study |
title_short |
Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study |
title_full |
Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study |
title_fullStr |
Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19: on educators: A Comparative Study |
title_sort |
mental health impacts of wildfire, flooding and covid-19: on educators: a comparative study |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2013 https://doaj.org/article/079c12a536014c22b8280e51b5b1ad0b |
genre |
Fort McMurray |
genre_facet |
Fort McMurray |
op_source |
European Psychiatry, Vol 66, Pp S949-S950 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823020138/type/journal_article https://doaj.org/toc/0924-9338 https://doaj.org/toc/1778-3585 doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2013 0924-9338 1778-3585 https://doaj.org/article/079c12a536014c22b8280e51b5b1ad0b |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2013 |
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European Psychiatry |
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66 |
container_issue |
S1 |
container_start_page |
S949 |
op_container_end_page |
S950 |
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1782334189880737792 |