A Two-Week Vacation in the Tropics and Psychological Well-Being—An Observational Follow-Up Study

Tanja Laukkala (), Tom Rosenström and Anu Kantele
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Tanja Laukkala: Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Acute Psychiatry and Consultations, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
Tom Rosenström: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Anu Kantele: Meilahti Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Research Center, MeiVac, Department of Infectious Diseases, Inflammatory Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-9

Abstract: Despite the vast annual number of international visitors to the tropics, surprisingly little data are available on the psychological well-being associated with the travels or with travelers’ diarrhoea (TD). We herein recruited participants of a vaccination trial, OEV-123, before their 12-day holiday in Benin, West Africa. We assessed the travelers’ psychological distress with a general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) and retrieved data on TD from the trial database. The GHQ-12 was completed before (wave 0), at return (wave 1), and 1-month after (wave 2) the trip. Of the 174 participants, 73% were women, with a mean age 40 years. Moreover, 24% reported psychological distress before traveling, 10% immediately after, and 16% 1-month after the trip (GHQ-12, 3 or more; 0–12 scoring). The findings showed that psychological well-being increased after the tropical holiday. The GHQ-12 middle wave sum score differed from the wave 0 ( p < 0.001) and wave 2 ( p = 0.008) sum scores, with travelers reporting highest levels of well-being on their return, with evidence of a lasting improvement. TD was experienced by 71%, and it had a negative impact on psychological well-being only if experienced after travel.

Keywords: tropical holiday; travelers’ diarrhoea; psychological well-being; psychological distress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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