Stress among seamen.

The origin and type of stress among seamen were investigated by means of interviews with three harbor physicians in Rotterdam. The main psychological problems encountered were loneliness, homesickness, and "burn-out" syndrome. The problems were primarily caused by long periods away from home, the decreased number of seamen per ship, and by increased automatization. Quantification of the prevalence and severity of these problems is necessary to elucidate preventive and therapeutic measures.