142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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302036
Hurricane Sandy and the perceived stress of New York residents

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014

Rebecca Schwartz, PhD , Population Health, North Shore LIJ-Hofstra School of Medicine, Great Neck, NY
Samantha Kerath, MS , Population Health, North Shore-LIJ Feinstein Institute, Great Neck, NY
Lisa Murphy , Nassau County Department of Human Services, Uniondale, NY
Trista Breil, MA , Nassau County Department of Human Services, Uniondale, NY
Emanuela Taioli, MD, PhD , Population Health, North Shore LIJ-Hofstra School of Medicine, Great Neck, NY
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.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Epidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Identify the specific Hurricane Sandy exposures that had the strongest negative impact on residents’ perceived stress.

Keyword(s): Behavioral Research, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the co-Principal Investigator of the CDC U01 that is funding the current research involving Hurricane Sandy and its mental health impact. I am also the co-PI of another mental health focused Hurricane Sandy foundation grant. I have been a co-investigator on numerous federal grants involving the impact of trauma on mental and behavioral health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3304.0: Natural disasters