Maternal Mental Health after a Wildfire: Effects of Social Support in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Study

Objective: Following disasters, perinatal women are vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms. Little is known about protective factors. We hypothesized that peritraumatic stress would predict PTSD-like symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women and would be moderated by social support and resilience. Method: Women (n = 200) who experienced the 2016 Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo wildfire during or shortly before pregnancy completed the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised for current PTSD-like symptoms. They also completed scales of social support (Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form) and resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale). Results: Greater peritraumatic distress (r = 0.56) and dissociative experiences (r = 0.56) correlated with more severe PTSD-like symptoms. Greater social support satisfaction was associated with less severe post-traumatic stress symptoms but only when peritraumatic distress was below average; at more severe levels of PDI, this psychosocial variable was not protective. Conclusions: Maternal PTSD-like symptoms after a wildfire depend on peritraumatic distress and dissociation. Higher social support satisfaction buffers the association with peritraumatic distress, although not when peritraumatic reactions are severe. Early psychosocial interventions may protect perinatal women from PTSD-like symptoms after a wildfire.