Analyses of neurotic symptoms and subjective symptoms of fatigue of seamen during a long voyage

Abstract

The variations of neurotic symptoms and subjective symptoms of fatigue were studied in relation to circumstances aboard ship in subsamples of the crew (N=24) and students and researchers (N=24) of a training ship belonging to a university during a summer voyage of the North Pacific route in 1987. The data were obtained by a self-administered questionnaire administered seven times before and during the voyage. The present study analysed the data collected during the 40d voyage (the first four questionnaires including that before departure). Complaints of neurotic symptoms and fatigue were reported to be much greater in the present sample than those in a general occupational setting. Although the complaints reported by students and researchers decreased at landing, complaints of physical fatigue reported by the crew increased at landing but those of mental fatigue hardly changed. With regard to correlation between the values of the responses to circumstances aboard ship and the values of neurotic symptoms and fatigue, “quality of sleep” was significantly correlated with these symptoms for the crew. For the students and researchers, significant correlations were demonstrated between such items as “boredom toward work” and “quality of sleep”, and physical fatigue, between the “anxiety over disease” and mental fatigue and “anxiety over disease”, “risk of injury” and “fear of death” and neurotic symptoms in the first survey after departure (13th day). © 1990, Japan Society for Occupational Health. All rights reserved.