Vital Exhaustion And Psychosocial Health Among Offshore Personnel Working In The Philippines

Abstract

The offshore environment is a high-risk and demanding workplace exposing crew members to various physical and psychological stressors. Health and safety programs are implemented to prevent accidents and promote well-being among personnel. This study aims to determine the association between vital exhaustion and psychosocial health among offshore workers in the Philippines. Quantitative non-experimental descriptive correlational design was used. Standardized questionnaires namely: Maastricht Vital Exhaustion (MVEQ) and Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaires (COPSOQ III) were utilized to gather data from fifty-five (55) respondents. The majority of the participants were male, belong to late middle adult age group (41-60 years old), completed a bachelor’s degree, were assigned in the maintenance and marine departments and have been working for 11-35 years offshore. Offshore workers have low vital exhaustion (VE) levels (M= 5.25, SD= 6.66) and good psychosocial health (PH) scores. Highest recorded scores fall under Influence and Development (M= 76.16, SD= 16.61), Outcome Scales (M= 75.68, SD= 17.58) and Interpersonal relations and leadership (M= 68.08, SD= 11.35). Lower mean scores in Further Parameters (M= 47.27, SD= 24.73) and Demands at Work (M= 40.9, SD= 14.15) also translate to favorable PH. There was a significant relationship among four (4) psychosocial health scales (p-value at .05), Demands at Work (< .001), Interpersonal relations and leadership (.001), Further Parameters (.001) and Outcome Scales (< .001), and the level of VE of offshore workers. There was also a significant relationship between VE (p-value at .05) and the demographic profile of offshore workers in terms of job assignment (.020) and work type (.002) however there was no significant association between PH and all demographic variables considered in the study. Majority of the respondents also claimed that environmental conditions were well-designed (M= 78.18, SD= 26.81) and safety concerns (M= 82.72, SD= 26.3) were managed appropriately in the workplace.