Prevalence and Correlates of Low Resilience: Aftermath of the Fort McMurray Wildfire Disaster

• Published in: European Psychiatry
• Main Authors: M. K. Adu, E. Eboreime, R. Shalaby, A. Sapara, B. Agyapong, G. Obuobi-Donkor, W. Mao, E. Owusu, F. Oluwasina, H. Pazderka, V. Agyapong
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2023
• Subjects: Psychiatry; RC435-571; Fort McMurray
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.645; https://doaj.org/article/a7e59d5cff3d424da3f2754307da899e

Introduction The Fort McMurray wildfire (2016) was one of the most expensive and devastating natural disasters that ever happened in the history of Canada. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (2016), the cost of this disaster was estimated at USD 3.6 billion in insured losses. Despite the fundamental role of resilience in the daily functioning of individuals in the form of a protective shield that ameliorates the devastating impact of disasters on their mental well-being, to date, the long-term impact of wildfires on resilience and its associated predictors of low resilience has not been well studied and evaluated. Objectives The study aimed to enhance the understanding of the psychological impact of wildfires through the evaluation of the prevalence and predictors of resilience among the affected residents of Fort McMurray five years after the devastating wildfires. Methods This study applied a cross-sectional survey design which was used to gather quantitative data through an online-based self-administered questionnaire. The surveys included standardized rating scales for resilience (BRS), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety disorder (GAD-7), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (PCL-C) was used to measure the prevalence of resilience and its demographic, clinical, as well as wildfire-related predictors. The data collection spanned between April and June of 2021. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 and univariate analysis with done using a chi-squared test and binary logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 249 residents accessed the online survey and 186 completed the survey. Therefore, there was 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). The study identified two variables, thus having PTSD symptoms (OR = 2.85; 95% CI: 1.06–7.63), and the age of respondents significantly predicted low resilience in our sample. The ...