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Behavioral Health of Gulf Coast Residents 6 Years After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: The Role of Trauma History.
- Source :
-
Disaster medicine and public health preparedness [Disaster Med Public Health Prep] 2019 Jun; Vol. 13 (3), pp. 497-503. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Sep 26. - Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between oil spill exposure, trauma history, and behavioral health 6 years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DHOS). We hypothesized that prior trauma would exacerbate the relationship between oil spill exposure and behavioral health problems.<br />Methods: The sample included 2,520 randomly selected adults in coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico. Participants reported their level of oil spill exposure, trauma history, depression, anxiety/worry, illness anxiety, and alcohol use.<br />Results: Individuals with more traumatic experiences had a significantly higher risk for all measured behavioral health problems after controlling for demographic factors and DHOS exposure. Those with higher levels of DHOS exposure were not at greater risk for behavioral health problems after controlling for prior trauma, with the exception of illness anxiety. There was no evidence that trauma history moderated the association between DHOS exposure and behavioral health.<br />Conclusions: Findings suggest that trauma exposure may be a better indicator of long-term behavioral health risk than DHOS exposure among disaster-prone Gulf Coast residents. DHOS exposure may be a risk factor for illness anxiety but not more general behavioral health concerns. Trauma history did not appear to exacerbate risk for behavioral health problems among Gulf residents exposed to the DHOS. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:497-503).
- Subjects :
- Adult
Aged
Anxiety epidemiology
Anxiety etiology
Behavioral Medicine statistics & numerical data
Depression epidemiology
Depression etiology
Female
Gulf of Mexico epidemiology
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders epidemiology
Middle Aged
Petroleum Pollution statistics & numerical data
Psychometrics instrumentation
Psychometrics methods
Racial Groups statistics & numerical data
Wounds and Injuries epidemiology
Behavioral Medicine methods
Mental Disorders etiology
Petroleum Pollution adverse effects
Time Factors
Wounds and Injuries etiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1938-744X
- Volume :
- 13
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 30253814
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2018.84