MENTAL HEALTH OF A NAVIGATION OFFICER AS A SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT OF NAVIGATION SAFETY

Abstract

The professional activities of ship’s officers as well as seafarers in general take place in the limited conditions of the ship, which significantly affects the mental health of seafarers. The aim of the study is to reveal the meaning of the term “seafarer’s mental health”, as well as to analyze the impact of the navigation’s officer’s mental health on the safety of navigation. It has been identified that mental health became the subject of research in the 1940s. In turns out, that the mental health of sailors has interested researchers at the beginning of the XXI century. It was found that the mental health of navigation’s officers is directly related to the level of their stress resistance and socio-psychological adaptation to the limited conditions of the ship. It is stated that the mental health of river and sea transport professionals is influenced by social factors; ship organization; procedures and instructions; working conditions and living conditions; the actual condition of the vessel; shore management; external environmental factors, as well as restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been specified that the poor mental health of navigation’s officers has a negative impact on the efficiency of the crew, the psychological climate on the ship, the financial costs of the ship owner’s company and may even jeopardize the safety of the flight. It is noted that navigation officers most often face such negative states as deprivation, fatigue, stress, frustration, depression, etc. It has been found that navigation officers most often face emotional, sensory, social, informational, communicative and sexual deprivation. Psychological signs of fatigue, characteristic signs of stress, symptoms of frustration, etc. are considered. Depression and anxiety have been proved to affect suicidal ideation and the likelihood of injury to navigation ‘s officers, accidents and illness on board. Emphasis is placed on the need to increase the level of psychological training of future and current navigation ‘s officers, as well as the development of the psychocorrectional treatment after a long stay on the voyage.