Mental health problems and suicide in the younger generation — implications for prevention in the Navy and merchant fleet

Abstract

Psychologists and psychiatrists worldwide are expressing concerns regarding the growing prevalence of mental health problems and the incidence of suicide in young adults. The reasons are seen in the extremely high tempo of social changes, information pressure, and values evolution in the younger generations, which are exposed to growing inequalities, loneliness and lack of social support. Poverty, social isolation, consumerism, hedonism, and unrealistic expectations of the future generate in the vulnerable part of the young adults inevitable frustrations, which give way to depression, anxiety, addictions, and suicide. This creates additional risks for the situation on board ships, both military and merchant, and requires greater efforts during pre-admission selection and in the course of the service or voyages. Suicides in the Navy are better registered than in the cargo fleet and are lower than in the same age and gender groups from the general population, and usually lower than in other types of forces. Data on suicides in the civilian maritime sector are less conclusive, but suggest it as a growing problem, especially considering stress on board. Recent studies revealed quite a lot of mental health problems in the merchant fleet crews, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Among the reasons such factor as "flag of convenience" strategy that implies lower standards, recruiting of the less trained and lower-paid workforce, multinational and multilanguage rotating crews, higher workload and stress and insufficient level of the pre-employment medical examination are mentioned. Recent trends in the mental health of the youth demand higher awareness both in the military ships and in the merchant fleet. We consider that more education and training aimed at mental health problems identification and stress-resilience promotion are needed both for the military and civilian staff on board. Better education of the whole personnel and "healthy ship" approach (better recognition of the crew members' needs, attention to mental health problems, nutrition, physical activity, etc.) may be applied both for the Navy and merchant fleet. (Int Marit Health 2020; 71, 1: 34-41)

The risk of suicidal intention in severe mental illness: An ecological perspective

“…Similarly, social difficulties and interpersonal conflict are important risk factors for suicidal intention among young people (Guo et al, 2023; Masi et al, 2021; Scardera et al, 2020). Psychosocial problems and suicidal tendencies become more pronounced in young people, possibly because young people are more sensitive, have difficulty adapting to external pressures and are more likely to engage in impulsive behaviour (Rozanov, 2020; Wagner et al, 2020). It is also possible that with increasing age, the condition of individuals with SMI improves as a result of receiving prolonged psychotherapeutic interventions, medication or neuromodulation therapy (Nabi et al, 2022; Tay & Li, 2022; Wu et al, 2022).…”

Mental Health Promotion in Adolescents

“…Suicide is a public health concern in many countries. 19, 20 Suicides among young people account for one-third of all suicides worldwide and are the second highest cause of mortality in this group. 21 Adolescent mental health problems are influenced by a range of factors such as family conflict, 22 loss of supportive friendships or family relations, 23 bullying, 24 sexual harassment, 25 and child abuse by parents.…”

Suicide among transport industry workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Various recommendations have been made regarding 'whole of ship' training around physical and mental health and well-being, promoting resilience, and creating more supportive and equal work environments in the maritime industry (75). However, the pressures of globalized supply chain deliverables, rotating crew, and the trend toward hiring international workers at low wages and with lower standards of employment are important systemic barriers that require industry level consideration (75)(76)(77)(78). Future research regarding suicide prevention strategies is required to determine ways to address co-occurring and interconnected contributing risk factors, and also the manner in which such initiatives can be delivered and tailored to the unique challenges of the transport sector.…”