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Behavioral Health of Gulf Coast Residents 6 Years After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: The Role of Trauma History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2018

Lynsay Ayer ,
Charles Engel ,
Andrew Parker ,
Rachana Seelam  and
Rajeev Ramchand
Lynsay Ayer*
Affiliation:
RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA
Charles Engel
Affiliation:
RAND Corporation, Boston, MA
Andrew Parker
Affiliation:
RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA
Rachana Seelam
Affiliation:
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Rajeev Ramchand
Affiliation:
RAND Corporation, Arlington, VA
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Lynsay Ayer, 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202 (e-mail: Lynsay_Ayer@rand.org).
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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.

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.

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.

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)

Keywords

alcoholillness anxietymental healthoil spilltrauma
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 497 - 503
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

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