Psychosoziale Belastungen von Bahnpendlern

The increasing number of commuters in our society raises the question of the consequences, in particular of psychiatric and somatic symptoms and the quality of life. A total of 407 commuters at the main railway stations in Stuttgart and Ulm (southern Germany) were included in a study in order to assess the psychiatric symptoms of commuters and if they are able to make use of psychosocial care despite the long periods of time spent commuting to work. An important result was that especially long-term commuters pay a high price: 31.3% of male and 37.3% of female commuters exceeded the cut-off point for psychiatric illness in the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2). The high prevalence of psychiatric disorders coincides with a high rate of unmet needs so that a high rate of false and under-treatment for commuters can be assumed.