TABLE 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Authors (year) | Country of authors | Participants: ‘n’ and job role | Participant demographics | Relevant measures (dates of data collection) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battineni et al. 16 | Italy | 1458 crew members of merchant ships |
85.11% male, 14.89% female Mean age not reported; the largest age group represented was 40–50 (39.2%) Nationality of participants not reported |
Survey assessing demographics; personal characteristics; knowledge of COVID‐19 Dates of data collection not reported |
| Baygi et al. 17 | Iran | 439 multinational seafarers working on two oil tanker international shipping companies |
Gender not reported Mean age 34.5 Majority (77.7%) were Indian |
Surveys assessing psychosocial distress; general mental health; anxiety; perceived health status Data collected July 2020 |
| Baygi et al. 18 | Iran | 439 multinational seafarers working on two oil tanker international shipping companies |
Gender not reported Mean age 34.5 Majority (77.7%) were Indian |
Surveys assessing general anxiety disorder; post‐traumatic stress disorder; depressive symptoms Data collected July 2020 |
| Coutroubis et al. 19 | UK & Cyprus | 400 seafarers on 76 commercial vessels & 100 seafarers awaiting employment |
Gender not reported Age not reported Mostly (n = 232) from the Philippines |
Seafarers in employment: Study‐specific survey assessing when and where they joined the vessels and original duration of contract; normal vacation periods between contracts; when they expected to return home; how they reacted to extension of stay; time spent in ports and anchorages; lockdown situation in home country; family commitments; concerns about COVID‐19; concerns about the threat of COVID‐19 to family and to life on board; concerns about practical and emotional consequences of COVID‐19 Seafarers awaiting employment: Study‐specific survey assessing period of waiting between employments; whether the pandemic delayed joining vessel; family pressures due to employment delays; financial necessity of seeking alternate employment Data collected May–June 2020 |
| Devereux & Wadsworth 20 | UK | 352 British seafarers |
85% male, 14% female, 1% other Mean age 36 100% British |
Study‐specific questionnaire assessing health, safety, and wellbeing experiences during the pandemic Data collected June–August 2020 and January–March 2021 |
| Hebbar & Mukesh 21 | Sweden | 288 seafarers, 18 shipping companies (including 4 ship‐management companies), 6 maritime administrations |
Gender not reported Age not reported Nationality not reported |
Seafarers: Questionnaire assessing experiences relating to their rights to shore leave, repatriation, and medical assistance Companies and administrations: Questionnaire assessing guidelines, response action, and coordination with stakeholders Data collected June–August 2020 |
| Lucas et al. 22 | France & Denmark |
‘n’ not reported Psychological phone consultations with 32 seafarers from France; also phoned social relations of 3 seafarers, 2 retired seafarers, 2 foreign crew members, and all crew members on 3 ships |
Gender not reported Age not reported Majority from France |
Telephone consultations/interviews to assess the impact of COVID‐19 and onboard accidents Data collected November 2020 |
| Pauksztat et al. (2022a) 23 | Sweden & Australia | 1297 seafarers who worked on international commercial vessels |
96.1% male Mean age 36.8 68.1% from Asia o Middle East; 28.1% European nationals |
Surveys assessing symptoms of anxiety; symptoms of depression; how frequently symptoms of anxiety and depression had been experienced; socio‐demographic characteristics; work characteristics (experience at sea, expected length of current work period, months on board, time spent over contract, number of port calls used as a proxy for workload, ship type, vessel's flag state); severity of the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on work and life on board Data collected July–September 2020 and compared with matched samples of pre‐COVID data from 2015 to 2016 |
| Pauksztat et al. (2022b) 24 | Sweden & Australia | 622 seafarers on international commercial vessels |
94.7% male Mean age 40.24 Participants came from 40+ countries on 6 continents, most (34.1%) from the Philippines, followed by Denmark, Germany, and Sweden (7.4% each) |
Surveys assessing mental health problems (symptoms of depression and anxiety); fatigue; how frequently mental health symptoms and fatigue had been experienced in the past week; study‐specific questions assessing the impact of COVID‐19 on work and life on board and on seafarers' employment and family concerns; length of time on board; whether seafarers had been on board longer than expected; onboard peer support; level of external support; internet quality; socio‐demographics Data collected July–September 2020 |
| Pesel et al. 25 | Italy, Spain & Denmark | 72 seafarers on container ships |
100% male Mean age 39 International ‐ 54% from Asian countries, 17% from European countries, 28% from Russian and former USSR countries, and 1.3% other. |
GHQ‐12 to assess mental health, with three extra questions about COVID‐19 precautions on board Data collected January–April 2020 |
| Qin et al. 26 | China | 441 seafarers across 30 ships |
100% male Mean age 37.54 100% Chinese |
Self‐administered questionnaire assessing socio‐demographics; occupational characteristics (sailing duration, type of ship, working position, night shift frequency per week, work stress); health‐related behaviors (self‐rated health, history of chronic disease, cigarettes, alcohol, sleep duration, sleep quality, leisure time, physical exercise); depression; COVID‐19 stress Data collected June–July 2020. |
| Radic et al. 27 | Croatia, New Zealand, Spain, Chile & South Korea | 9 cruise ship workers on 9 different cruise ships during the pandemic |
44.4% male, 55.6% female Mean age 34.3 Nationalities: Philippines (3), Croatia, India, Indonesia, Serbia, Trinidad, and Tobago, UK (1 each) |
Online focus group to explore the psychological effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on cruise ship employees stuck at sea Data collected May 2020 |
| Shan 28 | Canada | 29 (7 seafarers working on board; 9 seafarers waiting to join the ship; 5 ship managers; 4 union representatives; 4 key informants from maritime welfare/maritime authorities) |
Gender not reported Age not reported Participants were from Canada, China, or India |
Interviews exploring the challenges faced during the pandemic with regard to 4 aspects: impact of COVID on employment, health, and safety challenges at sea, impact of public health measures on crew exchange and shore leave, and resources/support available Media coverage analysis Data collected June–December 2020 |
| Sliskovic 29 | Croatia | 752 seafarers employed in the global shipping sector |
89.2% male Mean age 37.34 Participants from 57 countries |
Study‐specific questionnaire with questions on sociodemographic and work characteristics and one open question about personal experiences of the pandemic Data collected April–May 2020 |