Mechanisms of resiliency against depression following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

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

“…These results are consistent with previous findings from studies examining the associations of oil exposure and mental health impacts. 7,10,[20][21][22] Our findings that exposed individuals with lower self-mastery scores had greater mental health impacts also agree with studies demonstrating the positive associations between high levels of self-mastery and improved mental health. 23…”

“…These findings agree with a recent study examining the associations of depression and individuals participating in oil spill cleanup activities compared to individuals not participating in oil spill cleanup activities within populations directly affected by the oil spill. 10 This previous study also found associations of oil contact and mental health effects that were attenuated among the persons who participated in oil spill cleanup efforts. 10…”

“…10 This previous study also found associations of oil contact and mental health effects that were attenuated among the persons who participated in oil spill cleanup efforts. 10…”

“…A recent study on the associations of oil contact and depression found that respondents with oil contact had lower depression severity if they participated in cleanup activities, compared to exposed individuals who did not participate in cleanup activities. 10 The objective of this cross-sectional study was to test the hypotheses that oil exposure was associated with anxiety after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and that there was effect modification of that association by self-mastery (coping ability), emotional support, and cleanup participation. To the best of our knowledge, studies to date have not examined the associations of anxiety and individuals participating in oil spill cleanup activities compared to individuals not participating in oil spill cleanup activities within populations directly affected by the oil spill.…”

Risk factors for acute mental health symptoms and tobacco initiation in Coast Guard Responders to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

“…The findings from surveys conducted during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the 2007 Hebei Spirit oil spill indicated that cleanup activities were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress (Palinkas et al, 1993;Song et al, 2009). In contrast, studies from the Gulf States Population Survey suggested that participation in the DWH oil spill clean-up activities was not associated with mental distress, and protectively associated with depression (Fan et al, 2015;Kaufman et al, 2019). However, in the first study to document the impact of DWH oil spill response work on the mental health of clean-up workers, the Gulf Long-Term Follow-up (GuLF) Study, researchers found that in standardized mental health inventories administered 1-3 years following the spill, both quantitative and qualitative experiences of oil spill response work were significantly associated with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Kwok, McGrath, et al, 2017).…”