Abstract： Objective To investigate mental health and personality characteristics of supercargoes. Methods Catell 16 Personality Factor Test (16PF) and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) were used in 470 supercargoes for quantitative analysis. Pearson correlation analysis, multiple regressions and t test were used for data analysis. Results The participants showed a significantly lower score, although specific items were higher than normal models. There was no difference in different age groups. 16PF were positively correlated with total score of SCL-90, except for gregariousness, intelligence, ambition, fantasy,worldly-wisdom,creativity and independency. All factors in SCL-90 were significantly related with the subfactor (i. e. adaptation and anxiety) of 16PF. Conclusion The mental health of supercargoes may not be optimistic,and the personality problems may have some effects on their mental health.