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Don’t forget about seafarer’s boredom
Affiliations- ORPHY Laboratory, University Brest, Brest, France
- Centre for Occupational Medicine (Santé au Travail en Iroise), Brest, France
- University of Western Brittany (Université de Bretagne Occidentale) Brest, France
open access
Abstract
Background: The question we asked was whether it is worthwhile screening for seafarers who are prone to boredom, and whose mental health might deteriorate on board because of the particular character of life at sea.
Materials and methods: We used the Farmer and Sundberg Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS), validated in French, as well as the Zigmond and Snaith Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The survey was voluntary and responses were collected by means of questionnaires which were returned by post.
Results: Eighty seafarers (40 officers and 40 crew) as well as 63 office staff from the same shipping company were included in the survey. We found a significant difference between officers and operational personnel: average score of 8.4 ± 5 (median = 7) for officers and 10.2 ± 4.8 (median = 10) for operational personnel. 21% of the officers have scores greater than or equal to 12 compared with 41% of the crew. There is a significant correlation between the BPS and HADS test scores, in terms of depression, for the office staff and the seafarers taken as a whole; this correlation being highly significant among officers (r = +0.85), but only marginally significant among crew members (r = +0.54).
Conclusions: The BPS may be useful in screening for seafarers prone to boredom and depression for their fitness for embarkation.
Abstract
Background: The question we asked was whether it is worthwhile screening for seafarers who are prone to boredom, and whose mental health might deteriorate on board because of the particular character of life at sea.
Materials and methods: We used the Farmer and Sundberg Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS), validated in French, as well as the Zigmond and Snaith Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The survey was voluntary and responses were collected by means of questionnaires which were returned by post.
Results: Eighty seafarers (40 officers and 40 crew) as well as 63 office staff from the same shipping company were included in the survey. We found a significant difference between officers and operational personnel: average score of 8.4 ± 5 (median = 7) for officers and 10.2 ± 4.8 (median = 10) for operational personnel. 21% of the officers have scores greater than or equal to 12 compared with 41% of the crew. There is a significant correlation between the BPS and HADS test scores, in terms of depression, for the office staff and the seafarers taken as a whole; this correlation being highly significant among officers (r = +0.85), but only marginally significant among crew members (r = +0.54).
Conclusions: The BPS may be useful in screening for seafarers prone to boredom and depression for their fitness for embarkation.
Keywords
boredom; anxiety; hopelessness; seafarers; fitness; stress
About this articleTitle
Don’t forget about seafarer’s boredom
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original article
Pages
82-87
Published online
2019-06-25
Page views
2774
Article views/downloads
1383
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2019;70(2):82-87.
Keywords
boredom
anxiety
hopelessness
seafarers
fitness
stress
Authors
Dominique Jegaden
Myriam Menaheze
David Lucas
Brice Loddé
Jean-Dominique Dewitte
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