Chinese Journal of Aerospace Medicine 2024;35(4):290-293

doi:10.3760/cma.j.cn113854-20240329-00041

Investigation on the mental health status of civil aviation pilots after public emergency event and aeromedical support measures

Jinyang HE 1 ; Xiaoli WANG 1

Affiliations

+expand

Keywords

Mass casualty incidents; Psychological trauma; Risk assessment; Pilots

Country

China

Language

Chinese

Abstract

Objective:To provide references for aeromedical support by understanding the psychological status of civil pilots after public emergencies, analyzing the psychological impact of public emergencies on civil pilots, and exploring the countermeasures that airlines can take.Methods:After an airline public emergency event, 183 active pilots of an airline company were randomly selected as the subjects, the psychological status of the subjects was evaluated by questionnaire survey on April 9, 2022. General information and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) scores of the subjects were collected. The pilots were grouped by age (<30 years, 30-39 years, ≥40 years), marital status (married, single), flight position (captain, co-pilot), total flying hours (<7 000 h, 7 000-13 999 h, ≥14 000 h) and flying hours in 2021 (<300 h, 300-599 h, ≥600 h). The DASS-21 subscale scores of each group were compared.Results:All 183 distributed questionnaires were valid, yielding a 100% response rate and full survey coverage. Comparison of DASS-21 subscale scores among civil aviation pilots of different ages, marital statuses, flight positions, total flying hours, and flying hours in 2021, with no significant differences (all P>0.05). The subscale result of DASS-21 showed that the stress subscale of 26 cases were mild, 9 cases were moderate, and the detection rate of stress state was 19.1%. The anxiety subscale results of 6 cases were mild, 15 cases were moderate, and 1 case was severe, and the detection rate of anxiety state was 12.0%. The depression subscale results of 10 cases were mild, 6 cases were moderate, and the detection rate of depression was 8.7%. Conclusions:After encountering public emergencies, the detection rates of pilots with stress, anxiety and depression state is relatively low, indicating that the overall mental health status of pilots is good. Appropriate aeromedical support measures (the improvement of the company′s emergency management system, the establishment of a psychological management platform, the strengthening of health education work, the enrichment of cultural and sports activities, and the optimization of fatigue management) can help pilots maintain a stable psychological state.