Mental health of Filipino seafarers: the contributory factors and the strategies applied onboard ship

Mental health is equally important with physical health. Many reports found out that poor mental health is one of the major factors of depression among seafarers. This study ascertains the factors affecting mental health and the strategies applied by Filipino seafarers to combat these issues. A survey was used as a research design. A total of 100 seafarers taken through convenience and snowball sampling answered the validated researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent in the JBLFMU Alumni Portal, messenger, and Gmail. Frequency, percentage, and rank were used. Themes were used to classify the strategies applied by seafarers to counteract mental health issues onboard ship. The results revealed that the major contributory factor affecting the mental health of Filipino seafarers is stress, while they believed that a positive outlook in life makes one’s self free from mental health problems onboard. The top three factors are stress, fatigue, and separation from families and friends. The top three strategies to counteract factors that affect seafarers’ mental health onboard ship are staying positive, socializing with crewmates, and communicating with family.