Mediating effect of Qi-deficiency constitution on relationship between resilience and fatigue among ocean-going crew members

Objective To explore the mediating effect of Qi-deficiency constitution in Chinese medicine body mass on the relationship between resilience and fatigue among ocean-going crew members, providing a basis for developing fatigue prevention and intervention strategies.

Methods From March to April 2024, 443 crew members undertaking ocean-going missions were surveyed with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Chinese Medicine Constitution Questionnaire (CCMQ), and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). SPSS 26.0 software was used to compare fatigue conditions among personnel with different characteristics and analyze the correlations among resilience, Qi-deficiency constitution, and fatigue. Amos 21.0 software was used to construct a structural equation model to verify the mediating effect of Qi-deficiency constitution on the relationship between resilience and fatigue.

Results A total of 436 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective collection rate of 98.4%. Among the crew members, 24.1% (105/436) showed significant fatigue symptoms. Crew members with oceangoing service time longer than 10 years had higher fatigue scores than those with 5-9 years (P < 0.05). Crew members with bachelor's degrees or above had higher fatigue scores than those with college and high school education or below (both P < 0.05). Resilience was negatively correlated with Qi-deficiency constitution and fatigue (r_s = -0.574, -0.730, both P < 0.01), while Qi-deficiency constitution was positively correlated with fatigue (r_s = 0.747, P < 0.01). The structural equation model showed that the "resilience → fatigue" and "resilience → Qi-deficiency constitution → fatigue" pathways accounted for 58.3% and 41.7% of the total effect, respectively (both P < 0.01).

Conclusions Qi-deficiency constitution partially mediated the relationship between resilience and fatigue. The fatigue level of ocean-going crew members should not be ignored. Resilience training and Qi-deficiency constitution-based interventions can help prevent and alleviate fatigue among ocean-going crew members, thereby enhancing overall mission effectiveness.