Why Does Disaster Recovery Work Influence Mental Health?: Pathways through Physical Health and Household Income

Lowe, Sarah R.; Kwok, Richard K.; Payne, Julianne; Engel, Lawrence S.; Galea, Sandro; Sandler, Dale P.

doi:10.1002/ajcp.12091

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The emotional stress related to the spill was also a possible cause of increased physical health risks such as heart attacks (Strelitz et al, 2018). Other analyses suggest that physical health symptoms contribute to cleanup workers' risk for mental health issues (Lowe, 2016). However, fishers who had longer periods of cleanup work and thus potentially higher work-related oil exposure also had higher income, which in turn is associated with lower anxiety and depression (Lowe et al, 2016).…”

Section: Worker Health Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Sandifer¹,

Ferguson²,

Finucane³

et al. 2021

Oceanog

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The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill is the only declared Spill of National Significance in US history, and it significantly impacted the health of people and communities in the Gulf of Mexico region. These impacts amplified adverse effects of prior disasters and may compound those of future traumas. Studies, both to date and ongoing, show some negative mental and physical health outcomes associated with DWH in some spill workers, as well as some coastal residents in all Gulf States. The spill was also associated with negative effects in the living resources, tourism, and recreation sectors, at least in the short term. Compared with others, people dependent on these sectors reported more health and financial concerns. Consumer concerns about the safety and marketability of seafood persisted well after data demonstrated very low risk. Parents were concerned about possible exposures of children as they played on beaches, but this risk was found to be minor. Spill-related stress was an overarching factor associated with adverse health outcomes, and some residents reported greater stress from navigating the legal and claims processes following the spill than from the spill itself. Research revealed a serious lack of baseline health, environmental, and socioeconomic data against which to compare spill effects. This finding highlighted the need for ongoing observing systems to monitor health and socioeconomic parameters and establish continuous baselines of such information.

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Section: Worker Health Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Sandifer¹,

Ferguson²,

Finucane³

et al. 2021

Oceanog

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show abstract

“…However, because this was a cross-sectional survey, there was potential for reverse causality between cleanup participation and anxiety symptoms, both assessed after the oil spill. 27 It is also unknown whether respondents who participated in oil spill cleanup activities were healthier at baseline and had fewer mental health conditions. As the Gulf States Population Survey was a random-digit-dial telephone survey, the associations may introduce bias due to potential effects of recall bias or social desirability bias among the study participants.…”

Section: Study Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coping with oil spills: oil exposure and anxiety among residents of Gulf Coast states after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Goldman

Kaufman

Sharpe

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Introduction: In April 2010, a fatal explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest accidental marine oil spill in history. This research describes the association of oil exposure with anxiety after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and evaluates effect modification by self-mastery, emotional support, and cleanup participation. Methods: To assess the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted the Gulf States Population Survey, a random-digit-dial telephone cross-sectional survey completed between December 2010 and December 2011 with 38,361 responses in four different Gulf Coast states: Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Anxiety severity was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptom inventory. We used Tobit regression to model underlying anxiety as a function of oil exposure and hypothesized effect modifiers, adjusting for socio-demographics. Results: Latent anxiety was higher among those directly exposed to oil than among those who were not directly exposed to oil in confounder-adjusted models (β=2.84, 95% CI: 0.78, 4.91). Among individuals exposed to oil, there was no significant interaction between participating in cleanup activities and emotional support for anxiety ( P=0.16). However, among those directly exposed to oil, in confounder-adjusted models, participation in oil spill cleanup activities was associated with lower latent anxiety (β=-3.50, 95% CI: -6.10, -0.90). Conclusion: Oil contact was associated with greater anxiety, but this association appeared to be mitigated by cleanup participation.

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“…A disaster of such magnitude has detrimental effects on people living in both directly and indirectly affected areas, as this disaster impacted coastal communities as well as members of the response and cleanup efforts who were not exclusively local residents (Aguilera, Mendez, Pasaro, & Laffon, 2010;Laffon, Pasaro, & Valdiglesias, 2016). Research on the health effects of the oil spill identified rises in reports of depression Buttke, Vagi, Schnall, et al, 2012;Fan, Prescott, Zhao, Gotway, & Galea, 2015;Kwok, McGrath, et al, 2017;Lowe et al, 2016;Osofsky, Osofsky, & Hansel, 2011;Rung et al, 2016). Also, increases in anxiety were found among persons residing in places impacted by the oil spill Buttke, Vagi, Schnall, et al, 2012;Gould, Teich, Pemberton, Pierannunzi, & Larson, 2015;Lowe et al, 2016;Osofsky et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on the health effects of the oil spill identified rises in reports of depression Buttke, Vagi, Schnall, et al, 2012;Fan, Prescott, Zhao, Gotway, & Galea, 2015;Kwok, McGrath, et al, 2017;Lowe et al, 2016;Osofsky, Osofsky, & Hansel, 2011;Rung et al, 2016). Also, increases in anxiety were found among persons residing in places impacted by the oil spill Buttke, Vagi, Schnall, et al, 2012;Gould, Teich, Pemberton, Pierannunzi, & Larson, 2015;Lowe et al, 2016;Osofsky et al, 2011). Other studies examining the effects of the spill reported a greater occurrence of physical distress Buttke, Vagi, Schnall, et al, 2012;Fan et al, 2015;Gam et al, 2018;McGowan et al, 2017;Peres et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of oil-spill cleanup participation following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Sharpe

Kaufman

Goldman

et al. 2019

Environmental Research

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Background-On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, spilling over 4.9 million barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico over an 87-day period and developing into a long-term environmental disaster that affected people living in Gulf Coast states. Engagement of community members in recovery efforts is important for mitigating adverse effects of disasters and accelerating the rebuilding process for impacted communities; however, few studies have explored factors that determine participation in oil spill cleanups. Methods-We analyzed data from the Gulf States Population Survey (GSPS) to study the determinants of participating in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill cleanup. The GSPS was a random-digit dialing survey conducted on 38,361 adults in counties and parishes in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi impacted by the oil spill. Using survey estimation to account for the complex survey design, we estimated the probability of cleanup participation and used logistic regression to examine the association between sociodemographic factors and cleanup participation. Results-Approximately 4.7% of residents in affected Gulf communities participated in the cleanup. Most participants were young, men, non-Hispanic white, and employed. Living in an affected coastal county was associated with higher odds of participation (unadjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28-2.24), as was having excellent or very good physical health (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.11-3.81). Older persons were less likely to participate in the cleanup (OR for 65+ age group vs. 18-24 age group: 0.14; 95%

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Why Does Disaster Recovery Work Influence Mental Health?: Pathways through Physical Health and Household Income

Cited by 21 publications

References 30 publications

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Human Health and Socioeconomic Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Coping with oil spills: oil exposure and anxiety among residents of Gulf Coast states after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Determinants of oil-spill cleanup participation following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

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