The Mental Health Impact of Wildfires
Thursday, January 9, 2025.
Wildfires are more than natural disasters; they are emotional and psychological earthquakes, shaking our sense of safety, stability, and connection.
In Los Angeles, where wildfires are raging unconfined as I write this, the mental health consequences rippling through families and communities, will leave long-lasting scars.
This post explores the mental health impact of wildfires and incorporates social science research to more deeply discuss these mental health challenges.
The Immediate Emotional Aftershock
When wildfires strike, the fight-or-flight response is activated.
This biological reaction, while essential for survival, can lead to acute stress reactions. Studies indicate that disasters like wildfires often result in heightened rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For example, a study by McFarlane and Van Hooff (2009) found that exposure to wildfires can lead to long-term psychological distress, with children and adolescents particularly vulnerable to PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
Parents frequently struggle to balance their own fears while maintaining a brave front for their children. The emotional strain, compounded by the need to make quick decisions under pressure, sets the stage for psychological aftershocks of impermanence and placelessness that linger long after the flames are extinguished.
The Long Shadow of Displacement
For those whose homes are destroyed or damaged, displacement disrupts the routines and stability that are critical for mental health.
Research by Lowe, Joshi, and Pietrzak (2017) highlights how the loss of property and prolonged displacement can increase the risk of mental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety.
Children and adolescents experience this particular disruption acutely, with school closures, loss of social connections, and lack of structure contributing to emotional upheaval. For families, navigating temporary housing and financial uncertainty adds layers of stress and often exacerbates existing conflicts.
The Collective Anxiety of Climate Change
Wildfires are no longer seen as isolated events; they are increasingly viewed as evidence of a worsening climate crisis.
This has given rise to "climate anxiety," particularly among younger generations.
A global survey of youth conducted by Hickman et al. (2021) found that 59% of respondents felt extremely worried about climate change, with 45% reporting that their concerns negatively impacted their daily lives.
In areas like Los Angeles, where the effects of climate change are currently deadly, these anxieties become a backdrop for everyday life, particularly for children and teens who fear a future defined by disasters.
The Fragility of Community Bonds
What the media isn’t telling you right now is that wildfires have a paradoxical impact on communities: they bring people together in moments of crisis but can also create deep divisions during the recovery process.
Differences in resources, insurance payouts, or access to rebuilding funds can foster resentment, as highlighted in a study by Marshall et al. (2020) on post-disaster social dynamics.
Family conflicts also spike post-disaster. According to Galea, Nandi, and Vlahov (2005), disasters amplify preexisting stressors within households, leading to increased interpersonal tensions and sometimes, surprisingly, even domestic violence.
The Invisible Cost: Survivor’s Guilt
Even those who escape direct harm are not immune to emotional distress.
Survivor’s guilt, a phenomenon well-documented in trauma research, often affects folks who feel conflicted about their relative good fortune.
A study by Maercker and Zoellner (2004) on survivor guilt found that these feelings can lead to social withdrawal and difficulty processing grief.
In wildfire-prone regions, this guilt is compounded by the visible reminders of destruction—a neighbor’s home reduced to ashes or the charred remnants of a once-thriving community.
The Health-Mental Health Feedback Loop
The physical health impacts of wildfires—smoke inhalation, respiratory issues, and sleep disturbances—directly affect mental health.
Research by Reid et al. (2016) highlights how wildfire smoke exposure increases hospitalizations for respiratory conditions, which, in turn, exacerbate stress and anxiety.
For vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses, the combined toll of physical and mental health challenges can be profound and enduring.
Long-Term Psychological Adaptations
As wildfires become more frequent, communities may develop a disaster mindset, characterized by hyper-preparedness and chronic vigilance.
While this can be adaptive, it may also erode overall well-being, as suggested by the concept of "anticipatory anxiety" in disaster psychology (Satici et al., 2020).
Conversely, some folks and families may experience post-traumatic growth, finding new meaning or purpose in the aftermath of disaster.
Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) describe this phenomenon as a process where humans emerge stronger and more resilient after traumatic events, often with a greater appreciation for life.
What Can Be Done Now?
While wildfires pose significant challenges, there are proactive steps folks, families, and communities can take:
Early Intervention: Trauma-focused therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), have proven effective in treating PTSD and disaster-related trauma (Bisson et al., 2007).
Community Support: Strengthening community networks can mitigate the social isolation that often follows disasters. Group therapy and support networks tailored to wildfire survivors provide shared resilience and healing.
Policy Advocacy: Increased funding for disaster mental health services and climate resilience initiatives can help mitigate the long-term impacts of wildfires.
Final thoughts
Wildfires leave more than scorched earth in their wake—they leave emotional and psychological scars that require time, care, and resources to heal.
The mental health toll that will unfold over time will be considerable and formidable.
As we face an uncertain future marked by climate challenges, the resilience of our communities and culture will depend not just on rebuilding homes, but also upon rebuilding the emotional bonds that sustain us as Americans.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Bisson, J. I., et al. (2007). Psychological treatments for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190(2), 97-104. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.106.021402
Galea, S., Nandi, A., & Vlahov, D. (2005). The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiologic Reviews, 27(1), 78-91. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxi003
Hickman, C., et al. (2021). Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey. Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863-e873. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00278-3
Lowe, S. R., Joshi, S., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2017). Impact of disaster on mental health. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(S1), S36-S41. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000254
Marshall, G. N., et al. (2020). Social dynamics in post-disaster recovery: A review. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 14(5), 657-667. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.26
Reid, C. E., et al. (2016). Critical review of health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives, 124(9), 1334-1343. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409277
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01