Solastalgia mediates between bushfire impact and mental health outcomes: A study of Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfire season

Summary

This research tested whether solastalgia — distress caused by unwelcome change to one's home environment — helps explain the mental health toll of bushfires. In Study 1, 2,084 residents of the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding regions were surveyed shortly after the 2019–2020 bushfire season about their fire exposure, experience of solastalgia, and five mental health indicators. Study 2 extended the question to a nationally representative Australian sample (N = 1,477) six months later. Across both studies, solastalgia statistically mediated the relationship between bushfire impact and psychological distress. Notably, even people not directly exposed to fire reported solastalgia and correspondingly poorer mental health. The findings position environmental grief as a key pathway linking climate-related disasters to mental health harm.