Research Group Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Research Unit Medical Sociology and Health Policy, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Exposure Assessment, Epidemiology, and Risk Lab, Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines-Manila, 1000 Manila, Philippines.
Int Marit Health. 2021;72(1):55-63. doi: 10.5603/IMH.2021.0008.
Several studies have linked social media use to increased risks for anxiety and depression. Cargo seafaring is one occupation prone to constant mental health instability due to workload, social isolation, and harsh working conditions. We examined the effect of daily social media exposure, occupational experience, and socioeconomic factors on anxiety and depression disorders among cargo seafarers.
We assessed the anxiety and depression disorders of 153 cargo seafarers using Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scales. We fitted generalised linear models to estimate associations between depression and anxiety disorders and daily social media exposure, occupational experience, and socioeconomic factors.
Approximately 30% and 37% of the seafarers had mild, moderate, or severe anxiety and depression disorders. The prevalence of anxiety was 2.68 times higher (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 2.68, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.30-5.50) and 2.27 times higher (aPR 2.27; 95% CI 1.12-4.62) among seafarers who spend > 2 to 4 hours and > 4 hours each day, respectively, on social media compared to seafarers who spend only up to 2 hours. In addition, seafarers who were on social media daily for > 2 to 4 hours (aPR 1.49; 95% CI 0.86-2.60) and > 4 hours (aPR 1.34; 95% CI 0.75-2.40) had a higher prevalence of depression compared to seafarers who were on social media daily for only up to 2 hours. Non-Catholics or seafarers with ≤ 10 years of occupational experience had a higher prevalence for anxiety and depression disorders than Catholics or seafarers with > 10 years of occupational experience.
Daily social media exposure for > 2 hours, working for ≤ 10 years, or being a non-Catholic may contribute to the increase in the seafarers' susceptibility to depression and anxiety disorders. The establishment of support groups for cargo seafarers is warranted to promote mental health awareness and well-being.
多项研究表明，社交媒体的使用与焦虑和抑郁风险的增加有关。船员职业由于工作量大、社交孤立和恶劣的工作条件，容易导致心理健康不稳定。我们研究了日常社交媒体暴露、职业经历和社会经济因素对船员焦虑和抑郁障碍的影响。
我们使用广泛性焦虑障碍 7 项量表和患者健康问卷 9 项量表评估了 153 名船员的焦虑和抑郁障碍。我们拟合了广义线性模型，以估计抑郁和焦虑障碍与每日社交媒体暴露、职业经历和社会经济因素之间的关联。
约 30%和 37%的船员患有轻度、中度或重度焦虑和抑郁障碍。焦虑症的患病率高 2.68 倍（调整后的患病率比 [aPR] 2.68，95%置信区间 [95%CI] 1.30-5.50），高 2.27 倍（aPR 2.27；95%CI 1.12-4.62），与每天花 2 到 4 小时和每天花 4 小时以上的船员相比，每天花 2 小时以上的船员在社交媒体上的时间分别为 2.68 倍和 2.27 倍。此外，每天花 2 到 4 小时（aPR 1.49；95%CI 0.86-2.60）和每天花 4 小时以上（aPR 1.34；95%CI 0.75-2.40）的船员患抑郁症的比例高于每天只花 2 小时的船员。非天主教徒或职业经历≤10 年的船员患焦虑和抑郁障碍的比例高于天主教徒或职业经历>10 年的船员。
每天使用社交媒体>2 小时、工作时间≤10 年或非天主教徒可能会增加船员患抑郁和焦虑障碍的易感性。有必要为船员设立支持小组，以提高他们对心理健康的认识和幸福感。
