The ITF Seafarers’ Trust addresses a call for Expressions of Interest for collaborating centres, to undertake research into suicide among seafarers and invites centres, that are interested in participating, to submit a form explaining the outline of their proposed research. The closing date for submissions is Friday, 1 September 2017.
The research targets to encourage the industry to take steps to reduce mental distress and its serious consequences in seafarers, and to ensure that seafarers suffering from mental ill-health or the dependents of those who have suicided are not stigmatised.
The research questions to be addressed are:
- the relationship between living and working at sea and mental distress or ill-health in both the short and long term
- the effect of population variables within the international seafaring population on these relationships
- whether there is an excess risk of suicide in seafarers compared to other professions
- what intervention methods have the potential to be used in seafaring populations to reduce any adverse effects of seafaring on mental ill-health and suicide.
Kimberly Karlshoej, Head of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, said: “This important research will explore the relationships between social isolation on board, depression and, in the worst cases, suicide. It will enable the maritime community to gain much-needed answers that will assist in understanding the extent of seafarers’ mental health problems.”
