Evaluating Community Resilience and Associated Factors One Year after the Catastrophic Fort McMurray Flood

Correlates of low resilience and physical and mental well-being among black youths in Canada

BACKGROUND

Resilience has gained considerable attention in the mental health field as a protective factor that enables individuals to overcome mental health issues and achieve positive outcomes. A better understanding of resilience among Black youth is important for supporting the strengths and capacities within this population. This study seeks to investigate the correlates of resilience among Black youths in Canada.

METHODS

The survey was conducted online through REDCap between November 2022 and March 2023. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was utilized to measure the capacity of participants to recover from or bounce back from stress. The BRS comprises six five-point Likert scale items. Data were analyzed employing a bivariate analysis followed by a multivariable binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 933 Black youths participated in the study across all Canadian provinces, of which 51.8% (483) identified as female and 46.7% (436) as male. Most respondents 51.3% (479) were between the ages of 16 and 20 years, with 28% (261) between the ages of 21 and 25 years, and 20.2% (188) between the ages of 26 and 30 years. In terms of employment, 62.0% (578) were working part-time, 23.7%, (220) were unemployed, and 9.8% (91) were working full-time. Over a third of participants (39.3%, 331) rated their mental health over the last month as good, with 34% (317) giving a rating of poor and 20.9% (195) giving a rating of fair. Black youths who were working part-time had four times greater odds of expressing low resilience (OR: 4.02; 95% CI: 1.82-11.29) than those who were not working. Black youth who ranked their mental health as poor were about nine times (OR: 8.65; 95% CI: 1.826-21.978) more likely to express low resilience.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the Black youth participants reported relatively low resilience scores. Employment, physical health, and mental health status were factors that contributed to low resilience. Further studies are needed to examine the causal link between resilience and its dynamic effect on health outcomes among Black youth. More interventions are needed to make mental health services accessible to Black youth in a more culturally sensitive way with cross-culturally trained professionals.

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

Background: Wildfires have become increasingly prevalent in various regions, resulting in substantial environmental and psychological consequences that have garnered increasing attention. 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. 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. 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). 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.

Exploring the prevalence and predictors of low resilience and likely PTSD in residents of two provinces in Canada during the 2023 wildfires

Background

The recent wildfires in Canada serve as a stark example of the substantial and enduring harm they cause to the health of individuals and communities. Assessing the prevalence and correlates of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and low resilience is valuable for policymakers in public health.

Objectives

The study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of low resilience and likely PTSD among subscribers of Text4Hope, an e-mental health program that delivered daily supportive messages to residents of Nova Scotia (NS) and Alberta(AB) during the recent wildfires.

Method

Data collection was through a self-administered online survey completed by residents of the affected regions of NS and AB from May 14 to June 23, 2023. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Results

Out of 298 respondents, the prevalence of low resilience and likely PTSD in our sample were 52.0 and 39.3%, respectively. Unemployed respondents were about 3 times more likely to experience both low resilience and PTSD symptoms compared to those employed. Respondents with a history of mental health diagnosis were about 4 times more likely to experience likely PTSD compared to those with no history of mental health diagnosis.

Conclusion

This study established that unemployment and a history of mental health diagnosis predicted likely PTSD, while unemployment was associated with low resilience during the wildfire. These findings offer insights for clinical interventions and the creation of psychosocial support programs for vulnerable populations.

Assessing Resilience and Its Correlates among Residents of Fort McMurray during the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global health crisis that has affected the psychological well-being of individuals across the world. The persistence of the pandemic and measures to curtail it have tested people's ability to cope successfully and bounce back from the pandemic, otherwise referred to as resilience. The present study examined resilience levels among residents of Fort McMurray and identified the demographic, clinical and social factors associated with resilience.

METHODS

The study used a cross-sectional survey design and collected data from 186 participants using online questionnaires. The survey included questions assessing sociodemographic information, mental health history and COVID-19-related variables. The main study outcome was resilience measured using the six-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). The data from the survey were analyzed using chi-squared tests and binary logistic regression analyses in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.

RESULTS

The results showed that seven independent variables (age, history of depression, history of anxiety, willingness to receive mental health counselling, support from the government of Alberta and support from employer) were statistically significant within the context of the logistic regression model. A history of an anxiety disorder was demonstrated to best predict low resilience. Participants who had a history of anxiety disorder were five times more likely to show low resilience compared to those without such a history. Participants with a history of depression showed a three-fold likelihood of having low resilience in comparison to those who did not have a history of depression. Individuals who expressed a desire to receive mental health counselling had a four-times likelihood of having low resilience than those who did not express a desire to receive mental health counselling. The results also showed that younger participants were more prone to low resilience compared to older participants. Receiving support from the government and one's employer is a protective factor.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of examining resilience and its associated factors during a pandemic such as COVID-19. The results demonstrated that a history of anxiety disorder, depression and being younger were important predictors of low resilience. Responders who reported the desire to receive mental health counselling also reported expressing low resilience. These findings could be used to design and implement interventions aimed at improving the resilience of individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.