Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires
Background: Natural disasters adversely impact individuals living in places where they occur, resulting in emotional distress. The wildfire that occurred in Fort McMurray (FMM), Alberta in 2016 is no different. Objective: This study aims to identify the prevalence and predictors of Generalized Anxie...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Trauma Care |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-866X/2/2/24 |
| _version_ | 1797481682262032384 |
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| author | Ernest Owusu Reham Shalaby Ejemai Eboreime Nnamdi Nkire Belinda Agyapong Gloria Obuobi-Donkor Medard K. Adu Wanying Mao Folajinmi Oluwasina Mobolaji A. Lawal Vincent I. O. Agyapong |
| author_facet | Ernest Owusu Reham Shalaby Ejemai Eboreime Nnamdi Nkire Belinda Agyapong Gloria Obuobi-Donkor Medard K. Adu Wanying Mao Folajinmi Oluwasina Mobolaji A. Lawal Vincent I. O. Agyapong |
| author_sort | Ernest Owusu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Natural disasters adversely impact individuals living in places where they occur, resulting in emotional distress. The wildfire that occurred in Fort McMurray (FMM), Alberta in 2016 is no different. Objective: This study aims to identify the prevalence and predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms in residents of FMM five years after the devastating wildfires. Methods: Data for the study were collected through a cross-sectional survey conducted online from the 24th of April to the 2nd of June 2021. A validated instrument, the GAD-7 scale, was used to collect information on anxiety. Results: This study involved 186 residents of FMM, of which the majority were females (85.5%), employed (94.1%), working at school boards (50.0%), and were either married, cohabiting, or partnered (71.0%). The prevalence of likely GAD among the study sample was 42.5%. Unemployed respondents were seventeen times more likely to develop GAD symptoms (OR = 16.62; 95% C.I. 1.23–223.67) while respondents who would like to receive mental health counseling were five times more likely to experience GAD symptoms (OR = 5.35; 95% C.I. 2.03–14.15). Respondents who suffered a loss of property because of the wildfire were two times more likely to develop GAD symptoms (OR = 2.36; 95% C.I. 1.01–22.62). Conclusion: Policymakers may mitigate GAD symptoms, particularly after natural disasters, by making long-term mental health counseling available and a key component of post-disaster management, and by investing in the social capital of the people to build resilience and support to deal with the post-disaster mental health effects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:19:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39b7657b098647449ac0522ded0b032b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-866X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:19:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trauma Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-39b7657b098647449ac0522ded0b032b2023-11-23T19:18:05ZengMDPI AGTrauma Care2673-866X2022-05-012228229710.3390/traumacare2020024Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating WildfiresErnest Owusu0Reham Shalaby1Ejemai Eboreime2Nnamdi Nkire3Belinda Agyapong4Gloria Obuobi-Donkor5Medard K. Adu6Wanying Mao7Folajinmi Oluwasina8Mobolaji A. Lawal9Vincent I. O. Agyapong10Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaBackground: Natural disasters adversely impact individuals living in places where they occur, resulting in emotional distress. The wildfire that occurred in Fort McMurray (FMM), Alberta in 2016 is no different. Objective: This study aims to identify the prevalence and predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms in residents of FMM five years after the devastating wildfires. Methods: Data for the study were collected through a cross-sectional survey conducted online from the 24th of April to the 2nd of June 2021. A validated instrument, the GAD-7 scale, was used to collect information on anxiety. Results: This study involved 186 residents of FMM, of which the majority were females (85.5%), employed (94.1%), working at school boards (50.0%), and were either married, cohabiting, or partnered (71.0%). The prevalence of likely GAD among the study sample was 42.5%. Unemployed respondents were seventeen times more likely to develop GAD symptoms (OR = 16.62; 95% C.I. 1.23–223.67) while respondents who would like to receive mental health counseling were five times more likely to experience GAD symptoms (OR = 5.35; 95% C.I. 2.03–14.15). Respondents who suffered a loss of property because of the wildfire were two times more likely to develop GAD symptoms (OR = 2.36; 95% C.I. 1.01–22.62). Conclusion: Policymakers may mitigate GAD symptoms, particularly after natural disasters, by making long-term mental health counseling available and a key component of post-disaster management, and by investing in the social capital of the people to build resilience and support to deal with the post-disaster mental health effects.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-866X/2/2/24anxietywildfirecounselingdisastertraumaticdevastating |
| spellingShingle | Ernest Owusu Reham Shalaby Ejemai Eboreime Nnamdi Nkire Belinda Agyapong Gloria Obuobi-Donkor Medard K. Adu Wanying Mao Folajinmi Oluwasina Mobolaji A. Lawal Vincent I. O. Agyapong Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires Trauma Care anxiety wildfire counseling disaster traumatic devastating |
| title | Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires |
| title_full | Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires |
| title_short | Prevalence and Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Residents of Fort McMurray Five Years after the Devastating Wildfires |
| title_sort | prevalence and predictors of generalized anxiety disorder symptoms in residents of fort mcmurray five years after the devastating wildfires |
| topic | anxiety wildfire counseling disaster traumatic devastating |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-866X/2/2/24 |
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