Psychological Symptoms in Residents 7 Months After the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill: Re-analysis Focused on Influencing Factors.

Abstract

PP-29-200 Background/Aims: We reanalyzed data to investigate the factors including level of exposure to the oil spill and sociodemographic characteristics associated with the psychological symptoms 7 months after the Hebei spirit oil spill. Methods: The study included 1197 people aged ≥15 years living in the oil spilled area between 7 July 2008 and 1 August 2008 and selected with stratification by 4 exposure level. We visited the subjects' home and interviewed them using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Scale for Suicidal Ideation, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revision. We calculated age and gender standardized prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. We estimated prevalence odds ratios of PTSD, depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety for oil exposure and sociodemographic factors adjusted for confounding factors. Results: The age- and gender-standardized prevalences of PTSD and depression were 8.0%, 17.3%, 22.7%, and 37.8% for PTSD and 14.2%, 19.4%, 27.8%, and 34.1% for depression in low, lower middle, upper middle, and high exposure area, respectively. People having sea-related work reported significantly higher PTSD and depression after adjustment for several confounding factors compared with people who have non-sea-related occupation in all 4 exposure areas. After adjusting for several confounding factors, people who lived in the high exposure area showed higher prevalence of psychological symptoms than those who lived in the low exposure area: prevalence odds ratios [POR] of 3.63 (95% CI: 1.91–6.89) for PTSD, 1.93 (95% CI: 1.14–3.26) for depression, 1.97 (95% CI: 0.48–8.16) for suicidal ideation, and 2.11 (95% CI: 0.79–5.63) for anxiety. The POR of PTSD was highest in people living in high exposure area and having sea-related job than those living in low exposure area and having non-sea-related jobs (POR = 16.7, 95% CI: 8.1–34.6). Conclusion: Having sea-related jobs and being exposed highly to crude oil increased significantly psychological symptoms such as PTSD and depression.