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Title: Children's Risk and Resilience Facing Cumulative Environmental Stress: A Case Study of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2022
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Abstract: Children born in 2020 are estimated to experience two to seven more climate change-induced extreme events in their lifetimes than those born in 1960. Given children’s vulnerability to disasters and other environmental hazards, this dissertation argues that children and disaster research should examine the effects of child/adolescent exposure to cumulative disasters alongside chronic environmental stressors in the context of their families. This dissertation develops and validates a conceptual framework elucidating the pathways of cumulative environmental stress exposure on child/adolescent physical and mental health outcomes. The model is unique in that it incorporates conservation of resources, family stress, and allostatic load theories. Data for this research come from two studies conducted among highly disaster-exposed Gulf Coast families in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill: the Gulf Coast Population Impact (GCPI) study and Women and their Children’s Health (WaTCH) study. Qualitative analysis was first conducted on data from in-depth interviews and focus groups with stakeholders and caregivers in five communities highly impacted by the oil spill. These qualitative data provided insight for better understanding the effects of the oil spill on children and adolescents in the context of multiple disasters. Household data from WaTCH was used to develop a novel index using geospatial analysis and principal components analyses to assess xv cumulative, place-based environmental stress predicated on stressors in five environmental domains –social, technological, natural, built, and chemical. The composite novel index was then applied to a structural equation model to assess the direct relationship between cumulative, place-based environmental stress to child/adolescent psychological and physical health outcomes, as well as their indirect relationship mediated by cascading household-, family-, and individual level stressors. Findings show that while most children and adolescents demonstrate resilience, cumulative place-based environmental stress induces adverse outcomes when there are also household- and family-level stressors. It is therefore imperative to identify strategies and meaningful public health interventions that enhance children’s resilience in the era of accelerated climate change.
Url: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2672640596?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true
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Authors: Meltzer, Gabriella Yusim
Institution: New York University
Department: Global Public Health
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Publisher Location: New York City
Pages: 1-244
Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS
Topics: Family and Marriage, Health, Land Use/Urban Organization, Natural Resource Management
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