A Bibliometric Analysis of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Seafarers

Abstract

The present study aims to analyse the output of mental health and wellbeing studies on seafarers. The necessary data from the Web of Science database was retrieved and processed using the visualisation and mapping programme VOSviewer 1.6.19. The study maps seafarers’ mental health and wellbeing research published from 2004 to 2023. The findings indicate that the most common topic of seafarers’ mental health and wellbeing was the International Maritime Health Journal was the most prominent. The United States of America was the most productive country. The outcomes of this present study can assist researchers in conducting more effective studies on the mental health and wellbeing of seafarers by providing insights into potential journals for reference, contributing authors, emerging patterns, nations, and relevant keywords.

Keywords

• Seafarers’ mental health
• Seafarers’ wellbeing
• Bibliometric analysis

References

1. Akamangwa, N. (2016). Working for the environment and against safety: How compliance affects health and safety on board ships. Safety Science, 87, 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.03.027
2. Bal, E., Arslan, O., & Tavacioglu, L. (2015). Prioritization of the causal factors of fatigue in seafarers and measurement of fatigue with the application of the Lactate Test. Safety Science, 72, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2014.08.003
3. Belloni, M., Carrino, L., & Meschi, E. (2022). The impact of working conditions on mental health: Novel evidence from the UK. Labour Economics, 76, 102176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102176
4. Bicen, S., & Celik, M. (2023). A bibliometric review on maritime inspection analysis: Current and future insights. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment, 237(2), 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/14750902221119341
5. Blackburn, P. (2020). Mentally healthy ships, policy and practice to promote mental health on board. Iswan, November.
6. Brooks, S. K., & Greenberg, N. (2022). Mental health and psychological wellbeing of maritime personnel: a systematic review. BMC Psychology, 10(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00850-4
7. Buber, M., & Koseoglu, B. (2022a). A bibliometric review and science mapping research of oil spill response. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin, 11(1), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.33714/masteb.1081670
8. Buber, M., & Koseoglu, B. (2022b). The bibliometric analysis and visualization mapping of net environmental benefit analysis (NEBA). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 181, 113931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113931

9. Cao, Y., Wang, X., Yang, Z., Wang, J., Wang, H., & Liu, Z. (2023). Research in marine accidents: A bibliometric analysis, systematic review and future directions. Ocean Engineering, 284, 115048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115048
10. Carotenuto, A., Fasanaro, A. M., Molino, I., Sibilio, F., Saturnino, A., Traini, E., & Amenta, F. (2013). Psychological stress in seafarers. International Maritime Health, 64(4), 215–220. https://doi.org/10.5603/IMH.2013.0007
11. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
12. Han, Y., Wennersten, S. A., & Lam, M. P. Y. (2019). Working the literature harder: what can text mining and bibliometric analysis reveal? Expert Review of Proteomics, 16(11–12), 871–873. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789450.2019.1703678
13. Hetherington, C., Flin, R., & Mearns, K. (2006). Safety in shipping: The human element. Journal of Safety Research, 37(4), 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2006.04.007
14. Hystad, S. W., & Eid, J. (2016). Sleep and fatigue among seafarers: The role of environmental stressors, duration at sea and psychological capital. Safety and Health at Work, 7(4), 363–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2016.05.006
15. International Labour Organization. (1997). Accident prevention on board ship at sea and in port. International Labour Organization. https://doi.org/10.2307/3018990
16. ISWAN. (2015). Guidelines for mental care onboard merchant ships. International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network. Retrieved on December 10, 2023, from https://www.seafarerswelfare.org/assets/documents/resources/MentalCare_A4_20151204_LR.pdf
17. Iversen, R. T. B. (2012). The mental health of seafarers. International Maritime Health, 63(2), 78–89.
18. Jepsen, J. R., Zhao, Z., & Leeuwen, W. M. A. van. (2015). Seafarer fatigue a review of risk factors, consequences for seafarers’ health and safety and options for mitigation. International Maritime Health, 66(2), 106–117. https://doi.org/10.5603/IMH.2015.0024
19. Jiang, Y., Wan, Z., Chen, J., & Wang, Z. (2023). Knowledge mapping of seafarers’ health research: a bibliometric analysis. Maritime Policy and Management, 50(5), 692–705. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2021.2017039
20. Lefkowitz, R. Y., & Slade, M. D. (2019). Seafarer mental health study. ITF Seafarers Trust & Yale University, pp.40-60. https://seafarerstrust.org/sites/default/files/node/publications/files/ST_MentalHealthReport_Final_Digital-1.pdf
21. Liang, T. P., & Liu, Y. H. (2018). Research landscape of business intelligence and big data analytics: A bibliometrics study. Expert Systems with Applications, 111(128), 2–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2018.05.018
22. Mayhew, C., & Chappell, D. (2007). Workplace violence: An overview of patterns of risk and the emotional/stress consequences on targets. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 30(4–5), 327–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2007.06.006
23. Meyers, S. D., Azevedo, L., & Luther, M. E. (2021). A Scopus-based bibliometric study of maritime research involving the Automatic Identification System. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 10, 100387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100387
24. Nielsen, M. B. (2013). Bullying in work groups: The impact of leadership. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 54(2), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12011
25. Nielsen, M. B., Bergheim, K., & Eid, J. (2013). Relationships between work environment factors and workers’ well-being in the maritime industry. International Maritime Health, 64(2), 80–88.
26. Oldenburg, M., Baur, X., & Schlaich, C. (2010). Occupational risks and challenges of seafaring. Journal of Occupational Health, 52(5), 249–256. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.K10004
27. Oldenburg, M., Hogan, B., & Jensen, H. J. (2013). Systematic review of maritime field studies about stress and strain in seafaring. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 86(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-012-0801-5
28. Rinaldy, D. Y. (2023). Bibliometric and systematic literature review on safety management in the shipping industry and further development in Indonesia. International Maritime Health, 74(1), 24–35. https://doi.org/10.5603/IMH.2023.0003
29. Rohsenow, D. J., Howland, J., Minsky, S. J., Greece, J., Almeida, A., & Roehrs, T. A. (2007). The Acute Hangover Scale: A new measure of immediate hangover symptoms. Addictive Behaviors, 32(6), 1314–1320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.10.001
30. Sampson, H., Ellis, N., & International, S. (2019). Seafarers’ mental health and wellbeing. Retrieved on December 12, 2023, from https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/127214/1/seafarers-mental-health-wellbeing-full-report.pdf
31. Sampson, H., Ellis, N., Acejo, I., Turgo, N., & Tang, L. (2018). The working and living conditions of seafarers on cargo ships in the period 2011-2016. Retrieved on December 12, 2023, from https://www.sirc.cf.ac.uk/Uploads/Publications/The%20working%20and%20living%20conditions%20of%20seafarers.pdf
32. Slišković, A. S. (2020). Seafarers’ well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. Work, 67, 799–809. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203333
33. Solak Fiskin, C., & Güldem Cerit, A. (2019). Comparative bibliometric and network analysis of maritime transport/shipping literature using the Web of Science database. Scientific Journals of the Maritime University of Szczecin, 61(133), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.17402/412
34. Stannard, S., Vaughan, C., Swift, O., Robinson, G., Altaf, S. A. si., & McGarry, A. (2015). Women seafarers’ health and welfare survey. International Maritime Health, 66(3), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.5603/IMH.2015.0027
35. Uğurlu, Ö., Kartal, Ş. E., Gündoğan, O., & Aydin, M. (2022). A statistical analysis-based Bayesian Network model for assessment of mobbing acts on ships. Maritime Policy & Management, 50(6), 750-775. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2022.2029606
36. Wadsworth, E. J. K., Allen, P. H., Wellens, B. T., McNamara, R. L., & Smith, A. P. (2006). Patterns of fatigue among seafarers during a tour of duty. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 49(10), 836–844. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20381
37. WHO, W. H. O. (2023). Mental health. World Health Organization. Retrieved on December 12, 2023, from https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/theme-details/GHO/mental-health
38. Yuen, K. F., Loh, H. S., Zhou, Q., & Wong, Y. D. (2018). Determinants of job satisfaction and performance of seafarers. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 110, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2018.02.006
39. Yurt, A., & Cenk, Ş. (2023). The Bibliometric analysis and visualization mapping of research on maritime accidents. Marine Science and Technology Bulletin, 12(1), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.33714/masteb.1224160