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

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard J. Osofsky ◽  
Joy D. Osofsky ◽  
Tonya C. Hansel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Mental Health Effects

ABSTRACTBackground: 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)

Mental Health Effects Associated with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil-Spill

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 515
Author(s):  
Richard K. Kwok ◽  
Sarah R. Lowe ◽  
Lawrence S. Engel ◽  
John A. McGrath ◽  
W. Braxton Jackson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Mental Health Effects

Grandchild Care and Well-Being: Gender Differences in Mental Health Effects of Caregiving Grandparents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Rocío Notter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Grandchild Care ◽  
Mental Health Effects

Abstract Objective The literature on the gendered differences of mental health as a result of grandchild care has shown mixed results. Research on grandchild care further suggests that nonresidential grandchild care improves mental health outcomes, while residential grandchild care arrangements decrease mental health outcomes in grandparents. The moderating or buffering role of social engagement remains understudied in the grandchild care-mental health relationship. The present study examines mental health effect differences between caregiving grandmothers and grandfathers, and the moderating effects of social engagement. Method Using 2002-2012 data from the HRS (Health and Retirement Study), a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and over, I examine the mental health effects of grandchild care and the moderating effect of social engagement in fixed effects models. Results Grandfathers experience particularly worsened mental health outcomes when providing grandchild care in a skipped-generation household. Both grandmothers and grandfathers experience mental health improvements from increased social engagement. Social engagement, particularly for grandmothers, serves as a buffer or produces role enhancement for grandmothers in skipped-generation care arrangements. Discussion Nonresidential and residential grandchild care affect mental health outcomes differently for grandmothers and grandfathers. However, social engagement consistently serves as a buffer or mental health improvement for all grandparents. Findings further encourage the continued study of social engagement and gender differences in older adults more broadly.

Mental Health Needs Assessment After the Gulf Coast Oil Spill—Alabama and Mississippi, 2010

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 401-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Buttke ◽  
Sara Vagi ◽  
Tesfaye Bayleyegn ◽  
Kanta Sircar ◽  
Tara Strine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Health Needs Assessment ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Mental Health Effects

AbstractIntroductionPrevious oil spills and disasters from other human-made events have shown that mental health effects to the affected population are widespread and can be significant.Hypothesis/ProblemThere has been concern regarding the likelihood that existing public health surveillance was not capturing the mental health effects to the population affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill. The objectives of this study were to assess the mental health needs of coastal communities in the states of Alabama and Mississippi following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.MethodsA cluster sampling methodology was used to assess the mental health status of coastal residents in three counties in Alabama four months following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and in the Gulf Coast counties in Mississippi 5.5 months after the oil spill.ResultsA total of 469 residents of the selected areas were interviewed. Between 15.4 and 24.5% of the respondents reported depressive symptoms, with 21.4-31.5% reporting symptoms consistent with an anxiety disorder, and 16.3-22.8% reporting ≥14 mentally unhealthy days within the past 30 days. Overall, there were more negative quality of life indicators and negative social context outcomes than in the state's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Between 32.1% and 35.7% of all households reported decreased income since the oil spill, and 35.5-38.2% of all households reported having been exposed to oil.ConclusionThe proportion of respondents reporting negative mental health parameters in the affected Alabama and Mississippi coastal communities is higher than the proportion reported in the 2008 and 2009 BRFSS state reports, suggesting that the public health response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill should focus on mental health services in these communities.ButtkeD, VagiS, BayleyegnT, SircarK, StrineT, MorrisonM, AllenM, WolkinA. Mental health needs assessment after the Gulf Coast oil spill—Alabama and Mississippi, 2010. Prehosp Disaster Med.2012;27(5):1-8.

COVID-19 news distress in youth: A systematic review protocol

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Angelique Strasser ◽  
Philip Sumner ◽  
Denny Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Systematic Review Protocol ◽  
Review Protocol ◽  
Mental Health Effects ◽  
The Relationship

COVID-19 has brought an epidemic of information which has produced detrimental mental health effects for young people. This systematic review protocol outlines the approach to investigating the available literature which assesses the relationship between COVID-19 related news and mental health outcomes in young people.

“Bouncing back” after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn M. Grattan ◽  
Babette Brumback ◽  
Sparkle M. Roberts ◽  
Stacy Buckingham-Howes ◽  
Alexandra C. Toben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Risk Perception ◽  
One Year

Purpose The psychological and behavioral consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster were among the most widespread, long term, and costly of all oil spill-related disasters. However, many people were resilient, and understanding the factors associated with resilience in the immediate aftermath of this disaster are needed to guide early interventions. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach In total, 133 adults from the Northeast Gulf Coast participated in a study of mental health outcomes during the oil spill and one year later. Participants completed a battery of measures that assessed their basic demographics, income status, perceived environmental risk (i.e. characteristic way people think about and interpret environmental risks), self-reported resilience (i.e. ability to “bounce back” after a disaster), and mental health status. Findings Results of univariate analyses indicated similar, elevated levels of mental health problems at both time points; however, environmental risk perception was higher one year post-spill than during the spill. In multivariate analyses, income stability, increased time, higher self-reported resilience, and lower environmental risk perception were associated with better mental health outcomes while age and gender had no association. Originality/value Oil spills are protracted disasters, and better mental health outcomes are linked to financial stability, as well as a belief in environmental restoration and one’s own capacity for resilience. Since resilience and environmental worry are potentially modifiable processes, they might be targeted in prevention and early intervention efforts in order to create more robust, prepared individuals in the face of an oil spill disaster.

scholarly journals 0217 The NIEHS GuLF STUDY: Mental Health Symptoms Among Participants Involved in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Clean-up

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A29.1-A29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Kwok ◽  
Lawrence Engel ◽  
Christine Ekenga ◽  
Aubrey Miller ◽  
Aaron Blair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Deepwater Horizon ◽  
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms
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