TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - 2023 wildfires in Canada: living in wildfire regions in Alberta and Nova Scotia doubled the odds for residents to experience likely generalized anxiety disorder symptoms
JO  - Journal of clinical medicine
A1  - Obuobi-Donkor, Gloria
A1  - Shalaby, Reham
A1  - Agyapong, Belinda
A1  - Da Luz Dias, Raquel
A1  - Agyapong, Vincent Israel Opoku
SP  - 
EP  - 
VL  - 13
IS  - 11
N2  - BACKGROUND: Wildfires have become increasingly prevalent in various regions, resulting in substantial environmental and psychological consequences that have garnered increasing attention. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the prevalence of likely Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and explore the determinants of likely GAD during the wildfires in Alberta and Nova Scotia. <br><br>METHODS: Data were collected online through a cross-sectional survey from 14 May-23 June 2023. Alberta and Nova Scotia participants self-subscribed to the program by texting 'HopeAB' or 'HopeNS' to a short code, respectively. The GAD-7-validated tool was used to collect information on likely GAD. <br><br>RESULTS: This study included 298 respondents while one hundred and twelve respondents lived in a region of Alberta/Nova Scotia affected by the wildfires (37.7%). The prevalence of likely GAD among the respondents was 41.9%. Respondents who lived in a region of Alberta/Nova Scotia recently impacted by the wildfires were twice as likely to experience GAD symptoms (OR = 2.4; 95% C.I. 1.3-4.3). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The study's identification of a statistically significant relationship between residing in a wildfire-impacted region and likely GAD shows the association between environmental and psychological well-being. However, the relatively small sample size and self-reported assessment of GAD symptoms may limit the generalizability of the findings. Further research involving a larger sample size delving into potential predictors could facilitate strategies for mitigating the mental health consequences of natural disasters.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2077-0383
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm13113234
ID  - ref1
ER  -