Investigating the role of sociotechnical factors on seafarers’ psychological capital and mental well-being

Abstract

Recently, digitalisation and automation are transforming seafarers' working process and this trend can potentially influence their well-being. However, inadequate literature has investigated the determinants of seafarer health and the role of psychological capital in seafarer health promotion is largely ignored. Therefore, anchoring on the job demands-resources and the conservation of resources theories, this research aims to investigate the relationship between social factors (i.e., organisational climate, authentic leadership, co-worker support) and technical factors (i.e., digitalisation, automation) and seafarers' psychological capital and mental well-being. To realise the objective, a survey was administered to 156 seafarers working in Singapore maritime companies. The structural equation modelling results indicate that a healthy organisational climate with supportive co-workers and authentic leadership in the presence of digitalisation and automation is supported to boost seafarers' psychological capital. Moreover, psychological capital is directly and indirectly related to seafarers' mental well-being via burnout. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by investigating seafarers' mental health protection by adopting a motivational state perspective. The research also highlights the significance of appropriately utilising digitalisation and automation's advantages. Managerially, the findings provide references for maritime organisations to develop suitable seafarer health protection strategies.