Psychological state of the fishing fleet employees during continued sea voyages: a review

INTRODUCTION: The adaptive human characteristics are time bound, hence an abrupt change of environmental conditions is crucial in adaptation process, specifically relevant maritime medicine.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: Based on literature data, to frame the issue of changes in psychological adaptive process among the fishing industry staff during long sea journeys and to justify the need of their constant medical supervision for early identification of possible health problems in the voyage period as well as during crew readaptation to the shore conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature has been searched in the international electronic databases of Web of Science, Scopus, also in the domestic library system eLibrary. The sources with a full-text access to the e-library are used. Time depth of the analysed literature coverage is the last 20–25 years, yet more than half of the sources are less than 5–7 years. The key words in the search engine are maritime labour, adverse occupational factors of maritime activities, the health of fishing transport staff, psychological adaptation of the sailing vessel crew.

RESULTS: Specificity of the adaptation problem in maritime medicine is primarily that seamen’s body should adjust to a significant number of adversities in a relatively short time. Time discrepancy between these processes leads to the emergence of disadaptation disorders which might evoke pathological lesion. Psychological status has a pronounced impact on human adaptation to working environment. Individuals with pronounced weakness of nervous processes often experience breakdowns in tense navigation conditions. The literary data analysis of seamen’s psycho-emotional state study in navigation conditions shows that even while short-term journey in the Arctic Basin seas most sailors experience mental tension of the central nervous system by the midterm. At long-term journey during a year-round Arctic navigation the phasal nature of psychological adaptation course is identified. In the first third of the journey the development of orienting response was observed due to the staff change and familiar social environment. By the middle of the journey there was a period of mental stabilization. By the end of the journey signs of psychological disadaptation were detected and intensified. Disadaptation changes include emotional instability, increased lability of the nervous system, particularly reflected in irritation, sleep disturbance, increased neuromuscular excitability, decline in mental and physical performance.

CONCLUSION: Seamen require constant psychophysiological monitoring to identify adaptive changes in the journey period and during crew readaptation to the shore conditions. Within the system of medical support to the water transport staff, an integrated manner of adverse conditions in professional environment is required in order to create high-quality and safe working conditions.