Prevalence and Predictors of Sleep and Trauma Symptoms in Wildfire Survivors

Objective

This study aimed to establish the prevalence and to identify predictors of insomnia, nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in wildfire survivors.

Method

A total of 126 (23 males, 102 females, and 1 nonbinary individual, Mage = 52 years, SD = 14.4) wildfire survivors from Australia, Canada and the USA took part in an online survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and self-report measures including: The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI).

Results

Results showed that 49.2% of the sample reported clinical insomnia on the ISI, 28.7% reported nightmares on the DDNSI, and 77.88% reported PTSD symptoms on the PCL-5. Fear for life of others (Pearson's r = .40, .21, .31), and the impact of smoke (Pearson's r, .47, .25,.41) significantly correlated with insomnia, nightmares and PTSD symptoms, respectively. Hierarchical regression showed that smoke was a significant predictor of insomnia (β = .17, p <.05, 95% CI, 0.15 – 1.49), and insomnia predicted both of PTSD (β = .27, p <.05, 95% CI, 0.26 – 1.05), and nightmares (β = .19, p = .04, 95% CI, 1.01 – 1.45) scores.

Conclusion

Insomnia, nightmares and PTSD are highly prevalent in wildfire survivors. Smoke, one of the trauma-related factors, was found to be as a significant predictor of insomnia; and insomnia was a significant predictor of both PTSD and nightmares. Future longitudinal studies are needed to establish which disorder emerges first as a result of smoke.