Airline Pilots Report High Rates of Anxiety, Alcohol Misuse
French survey finds greater than one-third meet the usual for ‘dangerous alcohol use.’
By Zach Vasile
A current survey of airline pilots in France turned up excessive charges of self-described anxiousness, despair, and alcohol misuse.
Researchers recruited 1,220 airline pilots from the French pilots union SNPL and had them fill out a questionnaire specializing in their mental health and well-being. The outcomes, printed in Frontiers in Public Health in Could, confirmed greater than one-third of the pilots (40 p.c) misused alcohol within the final 12 months, although lower than 1 p.c described themselves as dependent.
About 25 p.c suffered from anxiousness, with 11 p.c having a confirmed scientific prognosis, whereas 13 p.c described depressive signs, with 4 p.c reporting a confirmed prognosis.
Many of the pilots surveyed (90 p.c) have been male, and their common age was 45.
About 8 p.c of the respondents stated they took medicine to deal with insomnia. Virtually 10 p.c stated they’d a psychiatric historical past of some variety. Slightly below 3 p.c reported suicidal ideas within the final 12 months.
Solely a small variety of the pilots (0.8 p.c) stated they used hashish.
The researchers discovered that socioeconomic stress and necessities to fly a number of journeys in the identical day appeared to extend pilots’ danger for anxiousness. Additionally they discovered that respondents who described themselves as depressed have been most certainly to misuse alcohol.
About 14 p.c of the pilots stated they’d sought psychological assist, whereas 12 p.c reported feeling remoted in coping with their issues. Round 28 p.c stated they didn’t need to report psychological issues to their employer or governing company out of worry of dropping their license. However 54 p.c stated they might report signs if a rule ensured that it could not have an effect on their profession.
The researchers stated their examine underscores the necessity for preventative psychological well being applications for pilots and methods for them to handle their psychological issues with out worry of instantly dropping their jobs.
Editor’s Word: This story first appeared on FlyingMag.com.
Zach Vasile is a author and editor protecting information in all elements of business aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Enterprise Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, together with his space of focus being the intersection of enterprise and authorities coverage.
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