Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T18:33:29.793Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Mental Health Effects on Residents in Heavily Affected Areas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2013

Howard J. Osofsky ,
Joy D. Osofsky  and
Tonya C. Hansel
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background: Mental health issues are a significant concern after disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. This study was designed to assess the mental health effects on residents of areas of southeastern Louisiana affected by the oil spill.

Methods: Telephone and face-to-face interviews were conducted with residents (N = 452) assessing concerns and direct impact.

Results: The results show that the greatest effect on mental health related to the extent of disruption to participants' lives, work, family, and social engagement, with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. Given the location of the oil spill affecting communities that had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina, results also revealed that losses from Hurricane Katrina were highly associated with negative mental health outcomes. Conversely, the ability to rebound after adversity and place satisfaction were highly associated with better mental health outcomes.

Conclusions: Enhanced understanding of mental health effects after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will help in determining directions for much-needed mental health services after the disaster and in contributing to the knowledge of complex traumatization and the ability to rebound after adversity.

(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:280–286)

Keywords

disastermental healthoil spillpetroleummental disordersmental healthenvironmental pollutionwater pollutionLouisianareslience, psychologicalstress disorders, post-traumaticsocial environmentanxietydepressionHurricane Katrina
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 280 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Osofsky, HJ, Palinkas, LA, Galloway, JM.Mental health effects of the gulf oil spill. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2010;4 (4):273–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Assessment of health-related needs after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita--Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, New Orleans area, Louisiana, October 17-22, 2005. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006;55 (2):38–41.Google Scholar
3.Galea, S, Tracy, M, Norris, F, Coffey, SF.Financial and social circumstances and the incidence and course of PTSD in Mississippi during the first two years after Hurricane Katrina. J Trauma Stress. 2008;21 (4):357–368.Google Scholar
4.Kessler, RC, Galea, S, Gruber, MJ, Sampson, NA, Ursano, RJ, Wessely, S.Trends in mental illness and suicidality after Hurricane Katrina. Mol Psychiatry. 2008;13 (4):374–384.Google Scholar
5.Kronenberg, ME, Hansel, TC, Brennan, AM, Osofsky, HJ, Osofsky, JD, Lawrason, B.Children of Katrina: lessons learned about postdisaster symptoms and recovery patterns. Child Dev. 2010;81 (4):1241–1259.Google Scholar
6.Osofsky, HJ, Osofsky, JD, Kronenberg, M, Brennan, A, Hansel, TC.Posttraumatic stress symptoms in children after Hurricane Katrina: predicting the need for mental health services. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2009;79 (2):212–220.Google Scholar
7.National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. Deep water: The Gulf oil disaster and the future of offshore drilling.Report to the President. (2011). http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/final-report. Published January 11, 2011. Accessed October 28, 2011.Google Scholar
8.Goldstein, BD, Osofsky, HJ, Lichtveld, MY.The Gulf oil spill. N Engl J Med. 2011;364 (14):1334–1348.Google Scholar
9.Palinkas, LA, Petterson, JS, Russell, JC, Downs, MA.Community patterns of psychiatric disorders after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Am J Psychiatry. 1993;150 (10):1517–1523.Google Scholar
10.Palinkas, LA, Russell, JC, Downs, MA, Petterson, JS.Ethnic differences in stress, coping, and depressive symptoms after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1992;180 (5):287–295.Google Scholar
11.Picou, S, Arata, CChronic Impacts of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Resource Loss and Commercial Fishers.In: Coping with Technological Disasters, 1997;J2-J42. Retrieved from Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council website: http://www.pwsrcac.org/docs/d0001002.pdf.Google Scholar
12.Picou, S, Formichella, C, Marshall, BK, Arata, CCommunity impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill: a synthesis and elaboration of social science research. http://stevenpicou.com/pdfs/community-impacts-of-the-exxon-valdez-oil-spill.pdf. Published May 2009. Accessed October 28, 2011.Google Scholar
13.Lyons, RA, Temple, JM, Evans, D, Fone, DL, Palmer, SR.Acute health effects of the Sea Empress oil spill. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1999;53 (5):306–310.Google Scholar
14.Gallacher, J, Bronstering, K, Palmer, S, Fone, D, Lyons, R.Symptomatology attributable to psychological exposure to a chemical incident: a natural experiment. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007;61 (6):506–512.Google Scholar
15.Carrasco, JM, Pérez-Gómez, B, García-Mendizábal, MJ.Health-related quality of life and mental health in the medium-term aftermath of the Prestige oil spill in Galiza (Spain): a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2007;7:245.Google Scholar
16.Sabucedo, JM, Arce, C, Senra, C, Seoane, G, Vázquez, I.Symptomatic profile and health-related quality of life of persons affected by the Prestige catastrophe. Disasters. 2010;34 (3):809–820.Google Scholar
17.Palinkas, LA, Petterson, JS, Russell, JC, Downs, MA.Ethnic differences in symptoms of post-traumatic stress after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2004;19 (1):102–112.Google Scholar
18.Gill, DA, Picou, JS.Technological disaster and chronic community stress. Soc Nat Resour. 1998;11:795–815.Google Scholar
19.Sabucedo, JM, Arce, C, Ferraces, MJ, Merino, MH, Duran, MM.Psychological impact of the Prestige catastrophe. Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2009;9:105–116.Google Scholar
20.National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Impact on children and families of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: preliminary findings of the coastal population impact study. http://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/files/NCDP_Oil_Impact_Report.pdf. Published August 3, 2010. Accessed October 28, 2011.Google Scholar
21.Witters, DGulf Coast residents worse off emotionally after BP oil spill. http://www.gallup.com/poll/143240/gulf-coast-residents-worse-off-emotionally-oil-spill.aspx. Published September 28, 2010. Accessed October 28, 2011.Google Scholar
22.Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness. Gulf oil spill 2010 projected trajectory. http://gohsep.la.gov/oilspill.aspx. Accessed February 9, 2011.Google Scholar
23.Strother, SDeep Water Horizon oil spill and data collection. http://www.lavoad.org/images/DRLA_LAVOAD_Data_Collection_10_NOV_2010_final_Shannon.pdf. Published November 10, 2010. Accessed February 9, 2011.Google Scholar
24.Curtin, R, Presser, S, Singer, E.The effects of response rate changes on the index of consumer sentiment. Public Opin Q. 2000;64 (4):413–428.Google Scholar
25.Peytchev, A, Carley-Baxter, LR, Black, MC.Multiple sources of nonobservation error in telephone surveys: coverage and nonresponse. Sociol Methods Res. 2011;40:138–168.Google Scholar
26.US Census Bureau. Population estimates.(2009) http://www.census.gov. Accessed August 12, 2010, from http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/asrh/CC-EST2009-alldata.html.Google Scholar
27.Sheehan, DV, Harnett-Sheehan, K, Raj, BA.The measurement of disability. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1996;11(Suppl 3)89–95.Google Scholar
28.Connor, KM, Davidson, JR.Development of a new resilience scale: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depress Anxiety. 2003;18 (2):76–82.Google Scholar
29.World Health Organization. Management of substance abuse.WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/research_tools/whoqolbref/en. Accessed October 28, 2011.Google Scholar
30.Kessler, RC, Andrews, G, Colpe, LJ.Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002;32 (6):959–976.Google Scholar
31.Weathers, F, Litz, B, Herman, D, Huska, J, Keane, TThe PTSD Checklist (PCL): reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility.Presented at: International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Meeting; October 24-25, 1993; San Antonio, TX.Google Scholar
32.Ozer, EJ, Best, SR, Lipsey, TL, Weiss, DSPredictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: a meta-analysis. Psychol Trauma . 2008;S(1):3-36.Google Scholar
33.Schumm, JA, Briggs-Phillips, M, Hobfoll, SE.Cumulative interpersonal traumas and social support as risk and resiliency factors in predicting PTSD and depression among inner-city women. J Trauma Stress. 2006;19 (6):825–836.Google Scholar
34.Shrira, A, Palgi, Y, Ben-Ezra, M, Shmotkin, D.Do Holocaust survivors show increased vulnerability or resilience to post-Holocaust cumulative adversity? J Trauma Stress. 2010;23 (3):367–375.Google Scholar
35.Solomon, Z, Zur-Noah, S, Horesh, D, Zerach, G, Keinan, G.The contribution of stressful life events throughout the life cycle to combat-induced psychopathology. J Trauma Stress. 2008;21 (3):318–325.Google Scholar
36.Kessler, RC, Chiu, WT, Demler, O, Merikangas, KR, Walters, EE.Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62 (6):617–627.Google Scholar
37.National Institute of Mental Health. The numbers count: mental disorders in America. http://wwwapps.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america.shtml. Accessed October 28, 2011.Google Scholar
38.Keeter, S, Miller, C, Kohut, A, Groves, RM, Presser, S.Consequences of reducing nonresponse in a national telephone survey. Public Opin Q. 2000;64 (2):125–148.Google Scholar
39.Yun, K, Lurie, N, Hyde, PS.Moving mental health into the disaster-preparedness spotlight. N Engl J Med. 2010;363 (13):1193–1195.Google Scholar
40.Pfefferbaum, B, Houston, JB, Reyes, G.Building national capacity for child and family disaster mental health research. Prof Psychol Res Pr. 2010;41 (1):26–33.Google Scholar