@article{ref1,
title="Mental health effects of the Gangwon wildfires",
journal="BMC public health",
year="2022",
author="Hong, Ji Sun and Hyun, So Yeon and Lee, Jung Hyun and Sim, Minyoung",
volume="22",
number="1",
pages="e1183-e1183",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The April 2019 wildfires in Gangwon Province, South Korea forced the evacuation of 1500 individuals and cost more than $100 million in damages, making it the worst wildfire disaster in Korean history. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the mental health effects on survivors following the wildfires. <br><br>METHODS: Between April and May 2019, outreach psychological support services were delivered to people impacted by the wildfires. Post-disaster psychological responses using a checklist and the Clinical Global Impression Scale-Severity (CGI-S) were evaluated for 206 wildfires survivors. The CGI-S was administered consequently at 1, 3, and 6 months after baseline measurement. <br><br>RESULTS: Among four response categories, somatic responses (76.2%) were most frequently observed among the wildfire survivors. Specifically, insomnia (59.2%), anxiety (50%), chest tightness (34%), grief (33%), flashbacks (33%), and depression (32.5%) were reported by over 30% of the participants. The mean CGI-S scores were significantly decreased at 1 month (mean score = 1.94; SE = 0.09) compared to baseline (mean score = 2.94; SE = 0.08) and remained at the decreased level until 6 months (mean score = 1.66; SE = 0.11). However, participants with flashbacks showed significantly higher CGI-S scores compared to those without flashback at 6 months. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Wildfire survivors have various post-disaster responses, especially somatic responses. While most participants' mental health improved over time, a few of them may have experienced prolonged psychological distress after 6 months. Flashbacks were particularly associated with continuing distress. These results suggest that the characteristics of responses should be considered in early phase intervention and in follow-up plans for disaster survivors.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-2458",
doi="10.1186/s12889-022-13560-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13560-8"
}