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.
Harlow et al. (2026) studied this question.