Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons^™

Barriers To Mental Health Seeking Among Army Aviation Personnel: A Preliminary Report, Aric J. Raus

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This research explores barriers to mental health seeking, self-reported symptoms, and perspectives on self-help mental-wellness options among U.S. Army Aviation Personnel. Safe aviation operations require constant focus and mental clarity. These requirements expand when considering the implications and added stress of military operations, especially in combat scenarios. Yet, recent studies demonstrate that aviation personnel avoid seeking healthcare due to fears of losing their medical certification. This report provides preliminary results from the first known study on barriers to mental health seeking among U.S. Army aviation personnel. Utilizing an anonymous survey instrument, facilitated primarily through Social Media recruiting of current and …

Student Research Opportunities In Aviation Human Factors, Jamie Barrett, Brett Torrence

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

When most people think of jobs in aviation or at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), they think of pilots, Air Traffic Controllers, Maintainers, etc., those directly involved in the movement of aircraft, passengers, and cargo. However, to safely move over 26K passengers (avg) daily requires many diverse occupations. Included within the complexity of aviation operations are individuals with backgrounds in Psychology, Human Factors, and Instructional Design. It is important to raise awareness of the diversity of aviation jobs and pathways to achieving those opportunities, to attract a diverse next generation workforce. The Human Factors Research Division at the Civil Aerospace …

An Aviator Centered Approach To Mental Health: A Preliminary Look At Stressors, Barriers To Care, And Untreated Aviator Mental Health, Aric J. Raus

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The purposeful crash of Germanwings 9525 in March 2015 provided a wake-up call to the aviation community on the ramifications of untreated mental health in commercial aviation. While the airline industry and governmental regulating bodies reacted quickly with peer-support networks and attempts to de-stigmatize seeking assistance, few actions or studies have focused on mental health from an Aviators perspective. This presentation explores the possible stressors impacting aviator mental health among three distinct aviator professional categories: Commercial Aviators, Military Aviators, and Aviators in Civilian Training Programs. After providing an overview of stressors, the discussion transitions into what is known about the …

Integrating Aviation Technology, Emergency Services, And Human Resilience: Considerations From Social Scientists, Chelsea A. Lenoble Ph.D., Joel M. Billings Ph.D., Allison A. Kwesell Ph.D., Ray H. Chang Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have a range of applications within the field of disaster response. This presentation offers a novel framework of psychosocial considerations designed to advance UAS and disaster management integration. Social scientists highlight important challenges to the effective integration of three primary entities: UAS, the team of teams that responds to disasters, and populations affected by disasters.

The presentation adopts an emerging theoretical perspective on the intersection between UAS capabilities and disaster phases and extends it by bringing necessary attention to social science issues. Specifically, the framework outlines psychosocial considerations and areas of improvement for preparation (training), response …

Adversity: Its Affect On The Resilience Of Female Pilots, Linda M. Pittenger D.Mgt., Stephanie Douglas Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Women are one of the solutions to alleviating the pending pilot shortage. Becoming a pilot needs to appeal to women. Resilience plays an important role in determining whether women in male-dominated career fields will pursue or abandon their careers. The pilot profession is dominated by masculine beliefs, values and perceptions creating an organizational culture adverse and challenging to women.

The study objective was to explore the influence of adversity on female pilots and its effect on resiliency. In our sample of 1,499 female pilots, we found lower resiliency levels as compared to a general U.S. sample. Additionally, statistically significant differences …

A Human-Systems Approach To Proactively Managing Risk Through Training In An Evolving Aviation Industry, Michael W. Sawyer, Katherine A. Berry, Jason P. Kring, Edward M. Austrian

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The Aviation industry is rapidly evolving through increased automation on the flight deck, new air traffic control tools and procedures, and expanded applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The majority of these enhancements will rely on human operators (pilots, air traffic controllers, dispatchers, etc.) in order to be safely integrated into the National Airspace System. The staggered development cycle of these technological changes, coupled with independent development teams and relatively limited operational testing opportunities, can create significant challenges. These technological enhancements must be met with similarly rapid advancements in risk mitigation and training.

In this presentation we describe a standardized …

The Evidence-Based Approach To Learning, Jon Lars Syversen

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The aviation industry has focused on assessment of non-technical skills and human factors for decades. The ICAO Doc 9995, the IATA EBT implementation guide, authorities and operators are moving towards an evidence-based approach to training and assessment. This presentation will address practical and methodological challenges the FTO’s and instructors are facing when also aiming for evidence-based learning.

A core issue is that performance in the simulator should be addressed by integrating assessment of technical and non-technical skills. Secondly, this assessment regime should be compatible to instructor’s working conditions; usually running the simulator while having observation as a main task. Thirdly, …