Pauksztat Birgit, Andrei Daniela M, Grech Michelle R
Uppsala University, Sweden.
Future of Work Institute, Curtin University, Australia.
Saf Sci. 2022 Feb;146:105542. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105542. Epub 2021 Oct 19.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented to curb its transmission have altered workplaces and challenged occupational health and safety in unprecedented ways, with high levels of mental distress reported across several industries. In the maritime industry, occupational health and safety risks, including psychosocial risks, were a concern already before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, knowledge about the prevalence of mental health problems and the factors associated with them is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the effects of respondent and work-related characteristics on seafarers' self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Data came from two cross-sectional convenience samples of seafarers on international commercial vessels, surveyed before (N = 793) and during the pandemic (N = 504). Matching the two samples on respondent and work-related characteristics using propensity scores, we found that the pandemic contributed to significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety. Further analyses showed that seafarers with longer work periods, those who had been on board longer than expected, and those working on vessels registered with "Flags of Convenience" reported significantly higher levels of both depression and anxiety during the pandemic, but not prior to the pandemic. Taken together, these findings suggest that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a deterioration of working conditions and increased mental health risks for seafarers. Practical implications for safe-guarding occupational health and safety during this and future crises are discussed.
新冠疫情以及为遏制其传播而采取的措施以前所未有的方式改变了工作场所，并给职业健康与安全带来了挑战，多个行业都报告了严重的精神困扰。在航运业，包括心理社会风险在内的职业健康与安全风险在新冠疫情之前就已受到关注。然而，关于心理健康问题的患病率及其相关因素的了解仍然有限。本研究的目的是调查新冠疫情的影响以及受访者和工作相关特征对海员自我报告的抑郁和焦虑症状的影响。数据来自国际商船上海员的两个横断面便利样本，分别在疫情之前（N = 793）和疫情期间（N = 504）进行了调查。通过倾向得分在受访者和工作相关特征上对两个样本进行匹配，我们发现疫情导致抑郁和焦虑水平显著升高。进一步分析表明，工作时间较长、在船时间超过预期以及在“方便旗”注册船舶上工作的海员在疫情期间报告的抑郁和焦虑水平显著高于疫情之前，但在疫情之前并非如此。综上所述，这些发现表明新冠疫情的影响导致了工作条件的恶化，并增加了海员的心理健康风险。文中还讨论了在此及未来危机期间保障职业健康与安全的实际意义。
