Resilience of seafarers depending on occupational groups

Seafaring is a high-stress occupation that can significantly impact the mental health of crew members. Understanding the associations between resilience, stress perception, and depression is crucial for developing effective interventions to support their well-being. This study aims to investigate these relationships and explore potential differences between officers and ratings in resilience, stress perception, and depression. A total of 902 participants, comprising officers and ratings, provided information on their resilience, stress perception, and depression using standardized instruments. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data, including Chi-squared tests and logistic regression to assess differences between occupational groups. Officers demonstrated higher resilience significantly more often compared to ratings (OR 1.74; 95% CI (1.27–2.39)). Conversely, ratings more often reported moderate to high levels of stress perception compared to officers (64.2% vs. 53.3%; p = 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in depression rates between the two groups. Various factors such as age, duration on board, family status, and cultural background influence the resilience, stress perception, and depression rates of seafarers. Seafarers from Europe (78.6% vs. 70.3%; p = 0.023) and those with easy access to music on board (75.7% vs. 39.3%; p < 0.001) tend to endorse higher resilience more often. These cross-sectional findings provide an observation of associations between resilience, stress perception, and depression, recognizing that resilience is a dynamic process that evolves over time. Higher resilience was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms (Spearmans ρ=-0.199, p < 0.001) and lower perceived stress (Spearmans ρ=-0.305, p < 0.001). In contrast, higher stress perception was strongly associated with greater depressive symptoms (Spearmans ρ = 0.333, p < 0.001). The study highlights the interrelatedness of resilience, stress, and mental health among seafarers, suggesting that resilience may help buffer the impact of stress. The findings suggest that supporting the ongoing development of resilience and managing stress are important for promoting mental well-being among seafarers. Further research is warranted to explore the longitudinal nature of resilience additional factors influencing resilience among seafarers and develop evidence-based interventions to support their mental health needs.