Asian Institute of Maritime Studies

Pasay City, Philippines

CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM AND THE SETTING

Introduction

Seafaring may be an honorable and

a gratifying profession however conjointly difficult at it needs one to

be removed from his home and loved ones, be it for associate inter-island

or an international contract. Homesickness define it as “the distress or

impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from home."

Hence, given the long periods seafarers spend in the ship amidst the ocean,

this feeling of longingness to become stress and homesickness to their

works.

Acknowledge that many of seafarers do not know the exact reasons

why they choose to become a future seafarer. Some seafarers choose to be

a part of industry because they heard seafarer make a lot of money but they

do not know what the problems which they may encounter on board like

stress and homesickness. Researchers aim to help those Filipino interested

in the maritime industry and other seafarers to help them to survive the life

at sea. The purpose of this study is to help both seafarers and future

seafarers like the researchers. Moreover, this research focusing on the

question how seafarers relief their homesickness and stress. It is also

conducted by the researchers to spread important information to the people

involved and not involved in this industry.

 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Objectives

1. To determine this factor helps ease up the feelings of seafarers to

cope up with homesickness.

2. to find out if this factor helps to reduce the homesickness and stress

of seafarers

Statement of the problem

The study aims to determine what seafarers do when they feel

homesick and stress. And this question formulated

 Does question help them to relief their homesickness and stress?

 Does factors can help coping up the homesickness to seafarers?

Significant of the problem

Filipino Seafarers

One of the beneficiaries of our study are the Filipino seafarers form

them to know how to survive and beat the stress and homesickness on

board.

Students taking a marine course

Students taking a marine course are also included to the

beneficiaries of this study because when they become a real seafarer they

will experience these problem.

 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Future Researcher

This study is beneficial for future researcher because this will serve

as a basis for future research about some problems facing of the seafarers

Scope and delimitation

This study focuses and limited only in the Filipino seafarers about the

common problems facing in terms of works like stress and homesickness as

depicted their answer on the survey questionnaire and further confirmed

based on their responses on the closed-ended questions. The study does

not cover other nationality.

Hypothesis

Null Hypothesis

Does Factors didn’t help the seafarers to cope up with homesickness

and stress.

Alternative Hypothesis

Does Factors helped the seafarers to cope up with homesickness

and stress.

Definition of terms

Homesickness- is the distress caused by being away from home.

Stress- is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any

event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous

 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Seafarer- someone who works or travels on a boat or ship on the sea.

Theoretical Frameworks

How do To point out and The seafarers can

Filipino`s knowing this reduce their
factors can truly stress and
Seafarers
help them to cope homesickness
Cope up with up with they are
Stress and homesickness experiencing on
Homesickness board to this study
on Board

CHAPER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

According to (Bardelle&lashley, 2015), “Most people can experience

homesickness at some time, when they move away from their home base.

The experience of working onboard a cruise liner can intensify these

feelings, because of the enclosed and controlled nature of work and living

space”. So according to this study the reports on the incidence of

homesickness where the crewmembers originate from very different cultural

contexts than the one in which they work. Findings in this research suggest

that whereas a large number of crew experienced homesickness

sometimes, a substantial minority feel homesick very often, frequently or

always. Crew homesickness should be seen as important by both shipboard

and liner company management because it can ultimately impact on

 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

customer service experiences, and can be ameliorated by sensitive

management policies and practices.

(Schut&Nauta, 2015) They made the study that describes the large-

scale migration in contemporary society underscores the need to learn

about the complex experience of leaving home and relocating within or

beyond one’s own country. Separate consideration of various types of

stressors associated with geographic moves is called for, because these are

likely to be associated with different (but mutually exacerbating) correlates

and consequences, perhaps leading to comorbidity. Homesickness (HS) is

a frequent component of relocation, known to be related to certain

adjustment difficulties and health problems, as well as clinical disorders.

Basically what this is saying is that when you are far from your home as a

seafarer you actually tend to not care that much about the learning complex

you will experience upon leaving home since you are far from your family

when people are far from their loved ones they will eventually miss them

and sometimes the need and longing for their loved ones overshadows their

purpose for being far from their loved ones to begin with and this is a

common problem that seafarers experience a lot.

According to (Prisno III, 2011), “Being seafarer is one of the most

critical jobs in the world. Lot of Filipinos who’s taking this job is facing some

problems that affect their whole career life”. This is true considering being a

seafarer requires the person to be far away from their home and loved ones
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

and not all of them are happy with leaving their family behind. Some of the

issues that they might face is not being home that much for family bonding,

which cause tension on their family and hence it results in a broken family or

their partner finding attention from someone else, and they also face

corruption cause some companies are corrupt and don’t provide the right

amount needed for their seafarers to provide for their family.

According to (Manalo et al., 2015) It was followed by the absence or

stability or dependability in home life, being away from home for extended

period and insufficient time with family, and the common significant cause of

stress for seafarers is the separation from the family at home. Which

encourage seafarers to request for reduction of employment contract or

early disembarkation.

(Dotimas, 2015) stated that any seafarer to be away from home and

their family, still can find fulfilment in their professional and personal life.

Seeing their love once and their lives improve brings pleasure to a seafarer,

furthermore, the emotional support given by the seafarer’s family is of great

importance as it highly boost their moral and push them to work harder for

their family.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study used qualitative research and descriptive method to attain

the main purpose of this study. The researchers conducted survey and

interviews to particular people which are the seafarers.

Research Participants

The purpose of this study was to identify how to come up the

homesick of the seafarers on ship, with total population of 100. But the

researcher only used a sample size of 80 for entirety of the research. The

participants were chosen based on the following: have an experience how

to come up homesickness. The participants will be either male or female.

This study used availability random sampling in choosing the participants.

Research Procedure

The researcher conducted the survey to the Filipino seafarers in

Kalaw Avenue Ermita, Metro Manila. The questionnaire distributed onto

selected respondents, with the total of 80 individuals.

Research Instrumentation

A survey questionnaire made by the researcher was used as the

main data gathering instrument for this study. The survey questionnaire was

one
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

part, contains the survey proper which is the common problems

encountered by seafarer such as homesickness and stress.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The researchers used the statistical tool, Mean to determine what are

the influences that help seafarers to cope up with stress and homesickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS AND PREENTATION

This chapter present the result of the data collected. It also discusses

and explain the data presented as well as the analysis and in-depth

implication of each result based on statistical treatment done.

The researcher used mean to determine the percentage of people

who answered yes or no to the questions.

Table 1.1

Yes No

1.Treat myself on 50 30
payday.

Treat myself on payday

38% Yes No

62%

The graph shows the answer of the respondents to the question

whether treating themselves on payday help them on coping up their stress
and home-sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

50 or 62.5% out of 80 respondents answered yes. And 30 or 37.5%

out of 80 respondents answered that treating themselves on payday does
not help them in coping up stress and home-sickness. But the result showed
that treating themselves on payday helps mostly of the respondents on
coping up their stress and home-sickness.

Table 1.2

Yes No

2. Playing games 42 38
with my fellow
seafarers

Playing games with my fellow seafarers

Yes No
48%
52%

The graph shows the answer of the respondents to the question

whether playing games with their fellow seafarers help them on coping up
their stress and home-sickness.

42 or 52.5% out of 80 respondents answered yes while 38 or 47.5

out of 80 respondents answered no. We can conclude that playing games
with their fellow seafarers is one way to beat their stress and home-
sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.3

Yes No

3. Overtime to keep 27 53
myself busy

Overtime to keep myself busy

34% Yes No

66%

The graph illustrates if overtime in work to keep them busy helps

them in fighting stress and home-sickness.

27 over 80 respondents answered yes and 50 over 80 respondents

answered no. This seems that overtime at work does not help seafarers to
keep themselves busy in response of coping up their stress and home-
sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.4

Yes No

4. Enjoying a 18 62
company with a girl

Enjoying a company with a girl

22%
Yes No

78%

The graph shows the responds’ answer on the question whether

enjoying a company with a girl help seafarers in coping up stress and home-
sickness.

18 or 22% of the respondents said yes. While mostly or 78% of the

80 respondents responded no. It showed that enjoying a company with a girl
does not really help seafarers to cope up with their stress and home-
sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.5

Yes No

5. Listening to music 78 2

Listening to music

3%

Yes No

97%

The graph shows the answer of the respondents to the question

whether listening to music help them on coping up their stress and home-
sickness.

97% over 80 respondents answered yes and 3% or only 2

respondents answered no. This implicates that listening to music help
seafarers in coping up their stress and home-sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.6

Yes No

6. Hosting a religious 26 54
activities

Hosting a religious activities

32% Yes No

68%

The graph illustrates if hosting a religious activities do help seafarers

to fight their stress and home-sickness.

26 out of 80 respondents answered yes while 54 out of 80

respondents answered no to the question. This means that hosting a
religious activities does not help more than half of the respondents in coping
up their stress and home-sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.7

Yes No

7. Socializing with 74 6
my fellow seafarers

Socializing with my fellow seafarers

8%

Yes No

92%

The illustration shows the response of people if socializing with fellow

seafarers help seafarers in fighting stress and home-sickness.

Almost all or 92% of the respondents answered that socializing with

their seafarers help them in fighting stress and home-sickness. And only 8%
or 6 over 80 respondents answered no.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.8

Yes No

8. Drinking alcohol 20 60
after duty

Drinking alcohol after duty

25%
Yes No

75%

The graph shows whether drinking alcohol after the seafarers’ duty
help them to cope up with their stress and home-sickness.

Only 20 out of 80 respondents answered yes. While 60 out of 80

respondents answered no. This conclude that drinking alcohol after duty
does not really help in coping up stress and home-sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.9

Yes No

9. Visiting new 59 21
places

Visiting new places

26%
Yes No

74%

The graph illustrates does visiting new places help seafarers to

overcome their stress and home-sickness.

59 or 74% of the respondents said yes. And 21 or 26% of 80

respondents said no. This concludes that visiting new places help seafarers
to overcome their stress and home-sickness.
 Asian Institute of Maritime Studies
Pasay City, Philippines

Table 1.10

Yes No

10. Communicating 74 6
with my
friends/family at
home every week.

Communicating with my friends/family at

home every week.

8%
Yes No

92%

The graphs shows the percentage of respondents’ answers on

whether communicating with friends and family at home every week help
them to cope up stress and home-sickness.

92% or 74 over 80 respondents answered yes. And 8% or 6 over 80

respondents answered no to the question. This implicates that
communicating with friends and family help seafarers to cope up with their
stress and home-sickness.