CAPT. JEFFERY ANG

INTRODUCING

o Commercial Airline Pilot

o Peer Supporter of Pilot’s Advisory Group

(PAG)

o Industry Mentor (Aviation)

o Former Branch Chairman of Air Line Pilots

Association of Singapore (ALPA-S)

o Former Military Pilot of the Republic of

Singapore Air Force (RSAF)

Presentation

AviAsian 2021 Conference

26-27 Aug

PILOT’S MENTAL HEALTH &

WELLBEING

PRESENTATION BY CAPT. JEFFERY ANG

The Need for Better

Attention in the Aviation

Industry

The Need for Better Attention in the Aviation Industry

PILOT’S MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING

Adverse Effect on

Flight Safety

Confluence

of Factors

Report, Detect &

Intervene

Scientific &

Operational Tool

(Bor et al., 2017; Harper, 2021)(Orlady & Orlady, 1999; Reason, 1990; Kelly & Efthymiou, 2019)

“Main Casual Factor to Aviation Accidents and Incidents - Human Errors.”

Germanwings Flight 9525

“Pilots continue to be the prelude to absolute safety in flight operations that have averted numerous incidents and accidents.”

(Bor et al., 2017)

o 12.6% (252) out of 2000 pilots in the US and Europe revealed that they were on the threshold of clinical depression (Wu et al., 2016)

o Airline pilots experienced depression at least as frequently as the general population (Pasha & Stokes, 2018)

o 15 Apr 2016, Mozambique Airlines Flight 470 (Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations Namibia)

o 31 Oct 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 (NTSB, 2009; Cloudberg, 2019)

I am still biologically human…

Factors Affecting Pilot’s

Mental Health

Working Conditions

➢ JOB NATUREDemanding & Stressful(Bor et al., 2017; Salas & Maurino, 2010)

➢ REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Competency & Fitness(Pasha & Stokes, 2018)

➢ UNIQUE WORK-LIFEObligations & Responsibilities(Harris, 2011; Demerouti et al., 2018;Winter & Rice, 2015; Alkov et al., 1982)

➢ COMPULSIVE, OBSESSIVE, PERFECTIONIST

Excessive Reassurance-Seeking Behaviour(Abramowitz & Reuman, 2020; Philomin, 2015; Morse & Bor, 2006)

Psychological

(Morse & Bor, 2006)

“THE RIGHT STUFF!”

JOB OPPORTUNITY

(Halpern, 2020)

Employment

Opportunity

Effects of Stress Factors

“Pilots who fly the

airliners we travel on

are just human.

They're susceptible to

the same maladies that

plague us all.”

PSYCHOLOGICAL

EFFECTS

1

Indignant

Helpless

Lack Self-Esteem

3

Binge Drinking

Psychoactive Substances

OTHER MENTAL

HEALTH ISSUES

2INDULGENCE

Anxiety

Panic

Paranoid(Bor & Hubbard, 2006; Morse & Bor, 2006)

27 March 2012,JetBlue Flight 191

(Fernandez, 2012; Donaldson, 2012)

Pilot’s

Mental

Health

Concerns

among

Pilots

Potential

Risks

Reduced margin of

Flight Safety

Catastrophic

Outcome - Suicide

Deficient

Mental

Health of

Pilots

“We need to change

the culture of this

topic and make it OK

to speak about mental

health.”Loss of Class 1

Medical Status

Loss of Flying

License(Wu, et al 2016: Winter & Rice, 2015: Philomin, 2015)

Adequacy of

Attention

Recommendations

Airlines / Pilots

AssociationDetect & Timely Peer Support

(Steptoe & Bostock, 2011;

IFALPA, 2015; Demerouti et al.,

2018)

Community & Social

SupportIdentify Signs of Psychological Distress(Cahill, Cullen, & Gaynor,

2018)

IFALPASystematic Evaluation

(IFALPA, 2015)

Aerospace

Medical

Association (AsMA)Quick & Effective Methods

(AsMA, 2015)

Application of

Psychology / Aviation

PsychologistsAwareness

(IFALPA, 2015)

Scientifically and Operationally Validated Tools ❑ Self-Administered

to Check for

Personal Mental

Resilience &

WellBeing

(Steptoe & Bostock, 2011)

Karasek’s Job Strain Model

(Kroenke et al., 2001)

“Facilitating self-detection and approach to effective treatment strategies can ameliorate any stressful situations or stigma faced by pilots.”

CONCLUSION

Pilots are well trained Professionals1

2 Deficient Mental Health = Catastrophe!

3 Judicious Approach to Detect, Identify, and Treat

Social & Peer Support – Psychological First Aid

Scientifically Validated Tools – Self-Awareness Aid

4

5

Pilot’s Mental Health and Wellbeing

“The Need for Better Attention!”

ReferenceAbramowitz, J. S., & Reuman, L. (2020). Obsessive compulsive disorder. Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences, 3304-3306.Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). (2015, September 21). Pilot mental health - Updated expert working group recommendations. Letter to Michael Huerta, Administrator. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved from https://www.asma.org/asma/media/AsMA/pdf-policy/2015/AsMA-Pilot-Mental-Health-Working-Group-Recommendations-September- 2015.pdfAlkov, R. A., Borowsky, M. S., & Gaynor, M. S. (1982). Stress coping and the US Navy aircrew factor mishap. Aviation, Space, & Environment Medicine, 53, 1112-1115.ATSB Transport Safety Report. (2013, June). In-flight uncontained engine failure Airbus A380-842, VH-OQA. Australian Transport Safety Bureau.Australian Transport Safety Bureau. (2017, October 3). The operational search for MH370. (Publication No. AE-2014-054). Retrieved from https://www.atsb.gov.au/ media/ 5773565/operational-search-for-mh370_final_3oct2017.pdfBjelland, I., Dahl, A. A., Haug, T. T., & Neckelmann, D. (2002). The validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: an updated literature review. Journal of psychosomatic research, 52(2), 69-77.Bor, R., Droog, A., Albuquerque, C., Dickens, P., Eriksen, C., Harris, P., Oakes, M., Ross, S. M., & Farndon, H. (2017). Aviation and aerospace psychology: Pilot mental health and wellbeing. The British Psychological Society.Bor, R., & Hubbard, T. (Eds.). (2006). Aviation mental health: Psychological implications for air transportation. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.Cahill, J., Cullen, P., & Gaynor, K. (2018, September). Estimating the Impact of Work-Related Stress on Pilot Wellbeing and Flight Safety’. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Human Mental Workload: Models and Applications (H-WORKLOAD 2018), Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands (pp. 20-21).Cloudberg, A. (2019, October 12). The crash of EgyptAir flight 990: Analysis - Admiral_Cloudberg. Medium. https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/the-crash-of-egyptair-flight-990-analysis-96bb4493e5b2Demerouti, E., Veldhuis, W., Coombes, C., & Hunter, R. (2018). Burnout among pilots: psychosocial factors related to happiness and performance at simulator training. Ergonomics, 62(2), 233–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2018.1464667Donaldson J., S. (2012, March 28). JetBlue pilot rage likely not panic; Drugs or brain tumor possible. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/jet-blue-pilot-deeper-problems- panic-attack-medical/story?id=16019970Fernandez, M. (2012, March 27). Passengers restrain captain after crisis on JetBlue flight. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/us/jetblue-captain-is- restrained-after-midair-crisis.htmlGladstone, R. (2016, August 4). Pilot of vanished Malaysian flight had deviant route on his simulator, minister says. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-mh370.htmlHalpern, A. (2020, June 12). How Coronavirus Will Change the Future of Pilot Jobs. Condé Nast Traveler. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/6-pilots-on-the-future-of-the-once-glamorous-jobHarper, L. (2021, May 28). IATA chief economist signs off with optimistic outlook for airline recovery. Flight Global. https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/iata-chief-economist-signs-off-with-optimistic-outlook-for-airline-recovery/143932.articleHarris, D. (2011). Human performance on the flight deck. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations. (2015, August 6). Mental Health Requirements for Active Pilots | IFALPA. IFALPA. https://www.ifalpa.org/publications/library/mental-health-requirements-for-active-pilots--1653Kelly, D., & Efthymiou, M. (2019). An analysis of human factors in fifty controlled flight into terrain aviation accidents from 2007 to 2017. Journal of Safety Research, 69, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2019.03.009Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.xMorse, J.S., & Bor, R. (2006). Psychiatric disorders and syndromes among pilots. In R. Bor, & T. Hubbard (Eds.). Aviation mental health: Psychological implications for air transportation (pp. 107-125). Aldershot, Hants, England; Burlington, VT, USA: Ashgate.NTSB. Aircraft Accident Brief EgyptAir Flight 990. (Vol. 1). (2009). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18404900Orlady, H. W., & Orlady, L. M. (1999). Human factors in multi-crew flight operations. Aidershot, UK: Ashgate.Pasha, T., & Stokes, P. R. (2018). Reflecting on the Germanwings disaster: a systematic review of depression and suicide in commercial airline pilots. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 86.Philomin, L. E. (2015, October 6). Considerable Stigma against Mental Illness: Study. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/considerable-stigma-towards-mentally-ill-imh-studyPilot Mental Health: Expert Working Group Recommendations. (2012). Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 83(12), 1184–1185. https://doi.org/10.3357/asem.3539.2012Reason, J. (1990). Human Error. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Salas, E., & Maurino, D. (2010). Human Factors in Aviation (2nd ed.). Academic Press.Steptoe, A., & Bostock, S. (2011). A survey of fatigue and well-being among commercial airline pilots. Survey commissioned by BALPA. UCL Psychobiology GroupWickens, C. D., Gordon, S. E., Liu, Y., & Lee, J. (1998). An introduction to human factors engineering.Winter, S. R., & Rice, S. (2015). Pilots Who Are Perceived as Unsociable Are Perceived as More Likely to Have a Mental Illness. Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors, 5(1), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1027/2192-0923/a000071Wu, A. C., Donnelly-McLay, D., Weisskopf, M. G., McNeely, E., Betancourt, T. S., & Allen, J. G. (2016). Airplane pilot mental health and suicidal thoughts: a cross-sectional descriptive study via anonymous web-based survey. Environmental health, 15(1), 121.

THANK YOU