ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2021
The Impact of Wildfires on Mental Health: A Scoping Review.
Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
72 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Built environment features: Predictors or effect modifiers of post-disaster mental health outcomes? A systematic review.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Pooled it
- Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke Exposure.Annual review of medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Treatment for Insomnia, Nightmares, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Survivors of Wildfires: Pilot Randomized Feasibility Trial.JMIR human factors · 2025Trial
- Exposure to disaster information on social media, depressive symptoms, and alcohol and cannabis use in the aftermath of two natural disasters.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Québec Wildfires and Respiratory Emergency Department Visits in Charlottesville, Virginia.EcoHealth · 2026Article
- Wearable measured physiological stress and activity patterns changes after 2025 Los Angeles wildfire among older adults: findings from a pilot prospective cohort study.Environmental research, health : ERH · 2026Article
- The Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire Exposure: A Scoping Review of the Quantitative Evidence.Current environmental health reports · 2026Article
- Patterns of emergency care utilization among First Nations residents of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, during public health crises: An interrupted time series analysis.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2026Article
- Social Vulnerability, Wildfire Exposure, and Mental Health.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Projecting the mental health impacts of the 2025 LA wildfires: lessons from Hurricane Katrina.Environmental research letters : ERL [Web site] · 2026Article
- Burning issues: trends in newspaper coverage of wildfire events and health.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Motor vehicle crashes during wildfire smoke events in California (2010-2020).American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Prenatal Exposure to Wildfire and Autism in Children.Environmental science & technology · 2026Article
- Review
- Article
- Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD Among Southern California Residents After the January 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires.Disaster medicine and public health preparedness · 2025Article
- The 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires and Outpatient Acute Health Care Utilization.JAMA health forum · 2025Article
- Associations between fine particulate matter and in-home blood pressure during the 2022 wildfire season in Western Montana, USA.Environmental research, health : ERH · 2025Article
- Advancing new metrics for wildfire smoke exposure: case study in Alaska to bridge public health, climate adaptation, and fire management.Environmental research letters : ERL [Web site] · 2025Article
- The 2024 South America ablaze: health impacts and policy imperatives for protecting population health in an era of wildfires.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2025Review
12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
One of the many consequences of climate change is an increase in the frequency, severity, and, thus, impact of wildfires across the globe. The destruction and loss of one's home, belongings, and surrounding community, and the threat to personal safety and the safety of loved ones can have significant consequences on survivors' mental health, which persist for years after. The objective of this scoping review was to identify primary studies examining the impact of wildfires on mental health and to summarize findings for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance use. Literature searches on Pubmed and Embase were conducted in February and April of 2021, respectively, with no date restrictions. A total of 254 studies were found in the two database searches, with 60 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Three other studies were identified and included based on relevant in-text citations during data abstraction. The results show an increased rate of PTSD, depression, and generalized anxiety at several times of follow-up post-wildfire, from the subacute phase, to years after. An increased rate of mental health disorders post-wildfire has been found in both the adult and pediatric population, with a number of associated risk factors, the most significant being characteristics of the wildfire trauma itself. Several new terms have arisen in the literature secondary to an increased awareness and understanding of the impact of natural disasters on mental health, including ecological grief, solastalgia, and eco-anxiety. There are a number of patient factors and systemic changes that have been identified post-wildfire that can contribute to resilience and recovery.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.