Impact of Homesickness to the Working Habit of Filipino Seafarer On-board

Being on board for months and even more than a year will have some impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of the seafarers. Homesickness could adversely affect the physical, emotional, and job performance of seafarers. Homesickness affects the physical and emotional well-being of seafarers. This research focused on the impact of homesickness on seafarers onboard. The participants of the study are 31 seafarers who were conveniently selected from a list. Among the purposes of the study are, first, to determine the impact of homesickness in Filipino seafarers in terms of their physical, emotional, and psychological aspects. The respondents are typically aged 24 to 26 years of age, male, and with a length of service as seafarers of 1 to 5 years. These seafarers are in their early adulthood. The seafaring profession is generally male dominated. The researchers used the descriptive method of research and quantitative data in the analysis. The main data gathering tool used is a researcher-made questionnaire with Likert scales for the responses. The main data gathering tool used is the researcher-made questionnaire with Likert scales for the responses. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Descriptive statistics include mean and ranking. Results show that there is no significant difference in the impact of homesickness on the seafarers' physical, emotional, and psychological well-being when they are grouped according to age and sex. When they are grouped according to the length of service as seafarers, there is no significant difference in the impact of homesickness on their physical and emotional aspects. However, there is a significant difference in the impact on their psychological well-being. Homesickness would rarely affect the work habits of the seafarers. Some of the effects reported by seafarers include not being able to follow time management, lack of initiative and drive to perform the job, and cannot focus on-duty hours. The seafarers cope with homesickness by reminding themselves that staying onboard is just temporary and they will go home soon. The study recommends the adoption of the proposed "Seafarers Emotional and Well-Being Development Program" to help them cope with their homesickness.