Hurricane Sandy and the perceived stress of New York residents

Background:  Hurricane Sandy devastated regions of Long Island, Staten Island and Queens.  The prevalence of specific types of hurricane exposures and the impact that exposure had on residents’ experiences of perceived stress has not been studied.

Methods: Through an ongoing CDC-funded study, survey data has been collected from 243 adult participants. Surveys were administered in communities with varying degrees of hurricane exposure. Participants completed a self-report survey that included demographic questions, a hurricane exposure tool, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The current study sample is 78.8% female with a mean age of 59.63 (SD=20.12); 55.1% identify as White, 19.9% as Black, and 20.2% as Hispanic.

Results:  There is wide variability in hurricane exposure: approximately 78% of participants lost electricity, 13% evacuated emergently, 9% were unable to access necessary medical care, and 25% reported difficulty accessing food. The mean PSS score was 1.57 (SD=0.74); scores ranged from 0-4. One-way ANOVAs suggested that perceived stress is significantly associated with numerous indicators of hurricane exposure such as family/friend injured, and major property or financial loss. Multivariate linear regression modeling suggested that after controlling for demographics and other indicators of hurricane exposure, the strongest indicators of perceived stress were flooding in the home (β=0.21, p=.040), the loss or death of a pet (β=0.13, p=.050) and age (β=-0.15, p=.044).

Conclusions: Hurricane Sandy had a profound impact on residents’ perceived stress. Further research is warranted to establish the impact that this stress had on residents’ overall mental health and substance use.