The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented to curb its transmission have altered workplaces and challenged occupational health and safety in unprecedented ways, with high levels of mental distress reported across several industries. In the maritime industry, occupational health and safety risks, including psychosocial risks, were a concern already before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, knowledge about the prevalence of mental health problems and the factors associated with them is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the effects of respondent and work-related characteristics on seafarers' self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety. Data came from two cross-sectional convenience samples of seafarers on international commercial vessels, surveyed before (Npre-pandemic = 793) and during the pandemic (Npandemic = 504). Matching the two samples on respondent and work-related characteristics using propensity scores, we found that the pandemic contributed to significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety. Further analyses showed that seafarers with longer work periods, those who had been on board longer than expected, and those working on vessels registered with "Flags of Convenience" reported significantly higher levels of both depression and anxiety during the pandemic, but not prior to the pandemic. Taken together, these findings suggest that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a deterioration of working conditions and increased mental health risks for seafarers. Practical implications for safe-guarding occupational health and safety during this and future crises are discussed.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行对海员心理健康的影响：使用匹配样本进行比较。

COVID-19 大流行和为遏制其传播而采取的措施改变了工作场所，并以前所未有的方式挑战了职业健康和安全，据报道，多个行业都存在严重的精神压力。在海运业，职业健康和安全风险，包括社会心理风险，在 COVID-19 大流行之前就已经是一个令人担忧的问题。然而，关于精神健康问题的普遍性及其相关因素的知识仍然有限。本研究的目的是调查 COVID-19 大流行的影响以及受访者和工作相关特征对海员自我报告的抑郁和焦虑症状的影响。数据来自国际商船上海员的两个横截面便利样本，在大流行之前（Npre-pandemic = 793）和大流行期间（Npandemic = 504）进行了调查。使用倾向得分匹配两个样本的受访者和工作相关特征，我们发现大流行导致抑郁和焦虑水平显着升高。进一步的分析表明，工作时间较长的海员、在船时间超过预期的海员以及在“方便旗”注册的船舶上工作的海员在大流行期间报告的抑郁和焦虑水平明显更高，但在大流行。综上所述，这些发现表明，COVID-19 大流行的影响导致工作条件恶化，并增加了海员的心理健康风险。