Resilience Among Vietnamese and Non-Vietnamese Individuals Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Background and Purpose: The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) was one of the largest hydrocarbon disasters in US history. The 4.9 million barrels of oil that poured into the Gulf of Mexico impacted the natural environment, as well as the lives of communities residing along the coastal region. While these communities share a common experience through their connection to the Gulf of Mexico, the populations are racially and ethnically diverse, suggesting experiences to disaster may bring varying political, social, economic, and historical perspectives. This paper explores resilience in individuals that identify as Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese, presenting findings from a recently completed study from three Gulf Coast communities impacted by the DWH oil spill.

Methods: A 60-minute, in-person survey was administered to a total of 326 residents from the Gulf Coast communities of Port Sulphur, LA, Galliano, LA, and Bayou La Batre, AL to investigate the role of social networks, risk perceptions, preparedness measures, individual resilience, and demographics as predictors of preparedness and resilience for future hydrocarbon events. Random sampling through mail recruitment, supplemented by snow-ball sampling, was used to recruit participants aged 18-years or older with English- or Vietnamese-language proficiency. Resilience was measured using the 10-item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale, which uses a 5-point Likert scale, and has been shown to have high internal consistency, construct validity and test-retest reliability. Other variables in the study included age, race, education, site, disaster experience, and trust of social networks. Descriptive and inferential analytic techniques were used to answer the research question. Logistic regression outcome and key predictors models were used to determine the probability of having higher levels of resilience.

Results: Of the completed surveys, 24% (n=75) of respondents identified as Vietnamese. According to the model, the variables in the study explain 11.49% of the variance in predicting resilience. The model also suggests that each additional yearly increase in age is associated with a one-fold increase in the odds of having higher levels of resilience (OR=1.02, p<0.05). The model also suggests that the odds of having high levels of resilience is greater for people with a college education or more, compared to those with a high school education/GED or less (OR=1.81, p<0.05). Furthermore, people that identify as Vietnamese have lower odds of having high levels of resilience, compared to those of other races (OR=0.18, p<0.05).

Conclusions and Implications: This study offers several important insights linking environmental and sustainable development. Specifically, the findings suggest more nuanced and targeted interventions in the areas of disaster response and preparedness may be needed to address the unique experiences and contexts of particular communities. Implications for social work policy, practice, and research will be discussed.