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The psychosocial burden and stress coping strategies among seafarers
Affiliations- Department of Occupational, Metabolic and Internal Diseases, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland
open access
Abstract
Background: The seafarers’ professional group is one of the most numerous in the world. According to the statistics of the European Maritime Safety Agency (2020), there are approximately 280,000 people employed at sea in the European Union. The specific work environment on the ship (climatic, physical, chemical, psychological factors, etc.) is related to experiencing long-term stress. The World Health Organization considers work-related stressors to be very important determinants of health and disease. One of the basic psychological resources related to adaptation to demanding working conditions are strategies for coping with stress. The aim of the study is to assess the occurrence of harmful psychosocial factors in the work of seafarers and the stress coping strategies and their relationship with somatic diseases. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifteen seafarers who received a maritime health certificate participated in the study at the Occupational Medicine Clinic. The study was part of a larger project looking at the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among seafarers. The study used the Coping Questionnaire in Stressful Situations (CISS) (Endler and Parker) and a general questionnaire created for the purposes of the study. Results: Thirty six per cent respondents were exposed to traumatic event and to having nightmares, 13% had been discriminated at least once in the workplace. A positive correlation was found between discrimination and depression, nightmares and trauma. In addition, people who admitted having experienced trauma slept shorter (also while at home) and experienced nightmares more often. The most common style of coping was task oriented (29; 28.5%), and avoidance oriented (15%). The study also found a positive correlation between depression and the style of emotion-oriented coping and avoidance-oriented coping. Conclusions: The specific working conditions and exposure to traumatic events have a negative impact on the health of seafarers by increasing the risk of depression and cardiovascular diseases. The coping styles with stress depend on the position in the ship hierarchy.
Abstract
Background: The seafarers’ professional group is one of the most numerous in the world. According to the statistics of the European Maritime Safety Agency (2020), there are approximately 280,000 people employed at sea in the European Union. The specific work environment on the ship (climatic, physical, chemical, psychological factors, etc.) is related to experiencing long-term stress. The World Health Organization considers work-related stressors to be very important determinants of health and disease. One of the basic psychological resources related to adaptation to demanding working conditions are strategies for coping with stress. The aim of the study is to assess the occurrence of harmful psychosocial factors in the work of seafarers and the stress coping strategies and their relationship with somatic diseases. Materials and methods: One hundred and fifteen seafarers who received a maritime health certificate participated in the study at the Occupational Medicine Clinic. The study was part of a larger project looking at the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among seafarers. The study used the Coping Questionnaire in Stressful Situations (CISS) (Endler and Parker) and a general questionnaire created for the purposes of the study. Results: Thirty six per cent respondents were exposed to traumatic event and to having nightmares, 13% had been discriminated at least once in the workplace. A positive correlation was found between discrimination and depression, nightmares and trauma. In addition, people who admitted having experienced trauma slept shorter (also while at home) and experienced nightmares more often. The most common style of coping was task oriented (29; 28.5%), and avoidance oriented (15%). The study also found a positive correlation between depression and the style of emotion-oriented coping and avoidance-oriented coping. Conclusions: The specific working conditions and exposure to traumatic events have a negative impact on the health of seafarers by increasing the risk of depression and cardiovascular diseases. The coping styles with stress depend on the position in the ship hierarchy.
Keywords
psychosocial risk factors, stress coping styles, work-related stress, work environment
About this articleTitle
The psychosocial burden and stress coping strategies among seafarers
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original article
Pages
122-128
Published online
2023-06-30
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1585
Article views/downloads
706
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
IMH 2023;74(2):122-128.
Keywords
psychosocial risk factors
stress coping styles
work-related stress
work environment
Authors
Joanna Szafran-Dobrowolska
Marta Grubman-Nowak
Marcin Renke
Maria Jeżewska
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