The mental health impact of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires among adolescents

Background: To determine the prospective association of stressors experienced as a result of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires with mental health symptoms among adolescents. Methods: Among 10th and 12th-graders in Southern California (n = 2,839), we examined associations of wildfire-related stressors with depression and anxiety symptoms 3 months after the wildfires, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and mental health symptoms 3 months before the wildfires. Results: Due to the wildfires, 35.8% of adolescents were worried about the health of family members, nearly one-quarter feared for their personal safety (23.1%), personal health (22.3%), and/or felt anxious, stressed or depressed (21.9%), and 10.4% had a family member or loved one who lost their home. Several wildfire-related stressors were associated with greater odds of anxiety and depressive symptoms postwildfires. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of Southern California adolescents experienced direct or indirect stressors from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. These stressors were associated with worse mental health 3 months later. As wildfires become increasingly common, public health professionals should be aware of the growing need for mental health support services for adolescents.