Premium
A Study of Anxiety Assessment in Aircrew
Author(s) -
AITKEN R. C. B.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1972.tb00776.x
Subject(s) - aircrew , apprehension , anxiety , psychology , duration (music) , phobic disorder , clinical psychology , psychiatry , aeronautics , engineering , art , literature , cognitive psychology
A sample of 90 healthy aircrew reported in a quantitative way their views on ‘apprehension’, ‘tenseness’ and ‘duration seated till discomfort’ for a variety of defined situations. The highest scores for apprehension and tenseness were obtained for flying with severe disorientation, even higher than for a major emergency. Tenseness scores increased the more demanding the flying task without any increase in apprehension scores. The mean scores for ‘duration seated till discomfort’ were consistent with the durations usually experienced in these situations. Twenty‐one per cent of respondents from a squadron with a high accident rate were identified individually as abnormal . A sample of 17 phobic pilots were asked the same questions. For apprehension and tenseness scores the only significant differences were when landing an aircraft or when in a minor emergency; these mean scores were lower, and hence in a paradoxical direction. The mean scores for all items of ‘duration seated till discomfort’ were highly significantly less, particularly for boring situations. From this index, possibly of agitation, 59 per cent of the phobic pilots were discriminated individually as abnormal . It is recommended that an index of agitation, such as ‘duration seated till discomfort’, be incorporated in psychometric tests of manifest anxiety.