The role of social support on mental health after multiple wildfire disasters

Abstract

Disasters can erode mental health (MH), even if it does not reach mental illness. This study explored the direct or moderating role of social support on MH after multiple wildfires, with attention to evacuation status and participant sex. Participants (N = 402) responded to a random digit dial telephone survey about their disaster exposure, current MH, MH at the time of the fire, social support, and life stressors since the disaster. For the evacuated, social support moderated the relation of fire stress to MH at the time of the fire, with those with high social support having better MH. For current MH, social support had a direct relation to MH, and moderated the influence of life stressors since the disaster for the evacuated and women. For those with a life stressor, current MH was better with high social support, but worse under average or low social support. Social support had a relation to current MH for women, but not men.