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Mental health in the commercial fishing industry: modern uncertainties and traditional risks
Citation
King, TJ and Turner, R and Versace, V and Abernethy, K and Kilpatrick, S and Brumby, S, Mental health in the commercial fishing industry: modern uncertainties and traditional risks, Fish and Fisheries, 22, (5) pp. 1136-1149. ISSN 1467-2960 (2021) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Abstract
Commercial fishers face a range of stressors that impact physical and mental health.
However, there is limited research on the level of mental ill-health among fishers and
on the nature of stressors that contribute to their psychological distress. This paper
focuses on the experiences of commercial wild-catch fishers and analyses the results
of an Australian national survey conducted in 2017 (n = 872) (Appendix S1). We first
assess underlying themes in perceived stressors, identifying three distinct categories
termed ‘traditional risks’, ‘modern uncertainties’ and ‘future concerns’. Second, we
assess the level of self-reported psychological distress, demonstrating higher occurrence of high to very high psychological distress among commercial fishers in comparison with the national population. Third, we examine the relationship between
different groups of stressors and psychological distress, finding that stronger perceptions of both ‘traditional risks’ and ‘modern uncertainties’ are associated with greater
levels of psychological distress among fishers. Third, recognizing diversity within the
industry, we examine differences in these relationships among skippers and crew
(work role), and inshore versus offshore fishers (fishing location). Our analysis demonstrates that ‘traditional risks’ and ‘modern uncertainties’ differentially impact on
fisher mental health and depend on the individual's role in the industry and their fishing location. The findings suggest that changes to factors associated with modern uncertainty stressors—including government management techniques, red tape, media
representation and political support—could significantly improve mental health in the
commercial fishing sector.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | mental health, fishers, psychological distress, occupational health, fishing location, K10, stressors, work role |
Research Division: | Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services |
Research Group: | Human resources and industrial relations |
Research Field: | Occupational and workplace health and safety |
Objective Division: | Health |
Objective Group: | Public health (excl. specific population health) |
Objective Field: | Mental health |
UTAS Author: | Kilpatrick, S (Professor Sue Kilpatrick) |
ID Code: | 144653 |
Year Published: | 2021 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 4 |
Deposited By: | Education |
Deposited On: | 2021-06-02 |
Last Modified: | 2022-08-30 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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