Abstract
BackgroundSeafarers are often reported to be engaged in a dangerous physical and psychosocial work environment. However, mental health status among seafarers has not been focused on compared with physical health issues. Systematic, comprehensive reviews of mental health problems and their relevant factors are lacking. This review aimed to clarify beneficial approaches to the mental health problems faced among seafarers using a scoping review to systematically map the evidence regarding mental health issues and their related factors.MethodsStudies were searched on MEDLINE/PubMed, Science Direct, Academic search complete using EBSCOhost databases, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Web of science on 20, August 2020. This scoping review was conducted based on the framework of Arksey and O’Malley and Preferred Reporting items for Scoping Reviews flow diagram. The inclusion criteria were studies which determined the relationship between factors relevant to working conditions or working environment, and mental health in seafarers, and etc. Data were narratively summarized and reported.ResultsTwenty-four were included in this review while two major findings were clarified. Firstly, the prevalence of stress, depressive symptoms, and burnout have been mentioned for decades. Secondly, factors related to mental health and psychological issues can be categorized as individual and work environmental factors. The individual factors include experience, age, health status (high BMI, poor sleep, and diabetics), and resilience. The work environmental factors consist of two parts. Job demands comprise pressure from contractors/customers/time, working hours, ship department, job title, voyage episodes, period of seafaring, noise, and vibration. The job resources included instrumental support, team cohesion, shipboard caring and effort-reward imbalance.ConclusionsA beneficial approach to mental health problems faced among seafarers is necessary to understand comprehensively at individual and organization levels. Promoting health behaviors, training resilience, and managing obesity and chronic diseases comprise individual level strategies. Providing seafarers with adequate instrumental support, and practical support to communicate with customers, managing their distinct work-rest hours and adequate effort-reward balance comprise organization level methods.
Highlights
Seafarers are often reported to be engaged in a dangerous physical and psychosocial work environment [1,2,3]
Factors related to mental health and psychological issues among seafarers The factors related to mental health and psychological issues among seafarers were divided in two: individual and work environmental factors
These factors were likely to introduce different mental health disorders. This highlights the need of further research in the maritime field. This scoping review notes that the prevalence of stress, depressive symptoms, and burnout have been mentioned for decades
Summary
Seafarers are often reported to be engaged in a dangerous physical and psychosocial work environment [1,2,3]. Jonglertmontree et al BMC Public Health (2022) 22:282. These job demands for seafarers impact on physical health, and psychological issues, such as turnover intention, job dissatisfaction levels, and in some cases cause a variety of mental health problems: stress, depression, burnout, and, at its worst, suicidal ideation [3, 7]. Mental health status among seafarers should be emphasized. Mental health status among seafarers has not been focused on compared with physical health issues. Systematic, comprehensive reviews of mental health problems and their relevant factors are lacking. This review aimed to clarify beneficial approaches to the mental health problems faced among seafarers using a scoping review to systematically map the evidence regarding mental health issues and their related factors
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