Is Motion Sickness Hereditary?

Abstract

Motion Sickness surveys were administered to 77 male graduate students and 95 male and female members of an Air Force Reserve medical unit. Results of Survey 1 indicated significant and sizeable correlations between sons and their natural fathers for severity of motion sickness symptoms of fatigue, headache, and nausea. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that the father's nausea accounted for 59.4% of the total variance of their son's nausea during travel. Results of Survey 2 indicated sizeable and significant correlations between respondents and both natural parents for percentage of reported symptoms of fatigue and headache. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that both parents' reported percentage of fatigue (26.6%) and headache (33.6%) reliably predicted the respondents' percentage of fatigue and headache symptoms but not the nausea symptoms. In addition, there were no significant correlations between self-reported symptoms of fatigue, headache, and nausea. Findings suggest (1) hereditary factors may be a significant contributor to motion sickness, both in severity and frequency of symptoms, and (2) fatigue, headache, and nausea are largely independent of each other. Indications are that motion sickness be considered a syndrome rather than a unitary disorder.