Dispositional resilience predicts psychological adaptation of seafarers during and after maritime operations

Seafarers, whether on cargo, fishery, or naval ships, may be exposed to unique and unusual psychological demands related to the often isolated, confined, and extreme environments associated with ocean-going vessels. This necessitates optimal psychological adaptation to maintain individual well-being during the mission and afterwards. This study set out to explore whether psychometric measures could predict psychological adaptation of seafarers, specifically navy sailors, during and after maritime operations. It used emotional regulation as marker of adaptation, and examined the role of psychometric measures of dispositional resilience and emotional regulation to predict psychological adaptation at subsequent time-points.

A total of 168 sailors completed the Brief Sailor Resiliency Scale, Dispositional Resilience Scale 15, and Mental Toughness Questionnaire 18 prior to departing for sea, as well as the Brunel Mood Scale at 5 time points over a 12-month operational cycle.

Higher resilience scores were consistently associated with more adaptive emotional regulation. Multiple linear regressions indicated that the Brief Sailor Resiliency Scale predicted emotional regulation over the shorter term, while the Mental Toughness Questionnaire 18 predicted emotional regulation over the longer term. Further, mid-mission emotional regulation also predicted emotional regulation at the end of deployments.

The findings support several practical applications. Firstly, formal organizational initiatives to promote resilience could be useful to enhance adaptation during and after missions. Secondly, measuring seafarers' dispositional resilience could allow the streaming of vulnerable individuals towards appropriate mental health support services. Thirdly, past indicators of adaptation could be useful to enhance decision- making regarding subsequent utilisation. This may be applicable to seafarers in both naval services and commercial shipping, and to personnel in remote weather stations or other isolated and inaccessible research facilities.