Factors Associated with Depression among Residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Survey

Mississippi Gulf Coast communities are still adapting to the impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  This latest human-caused disaster was “stacked” on top of what has been the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Yet little is known about the psychosocial impact of “stacked” disasters on the adaptation of local residents. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of depression as a measure of adaptation and its associated covariates among residents of the three Mississippi coastal counties. For this study, we utilized data from the 2010 and 2011 MS Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Surveys. Of 461 who completed the surveys, 26% exhibited high depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥16). The results of the binary logistic regression analysis showed that 14 socio-demographic and disaster related variables accounted for 53% (Nagelkerke R²) of the variance in depression.  Several socio-demographic factors were associated with depression: greater number of persons living together; those who had neither workable cars nor accessible public transportation; and those who did not work full time.  Additionally, lower levels of perceived physical health were associated with increased odds of depression. Regarding disasters, increased odds of depression were associated with those who had to move their homes due to Katrina, had higher levels of worry regarding the negative impact of the oil spill on their job and on their health and the health of their family. Implications for health providers responding to the challenges faced by victims of stacked disasters will be addressed.