title: Risk propensity assessment in military special operations.
abstract: Risk taking, decision making, and stress factors are strongly associated in military operations. The authors used the Bond and Lader mood and alertness scale and a new scale, Evaluation of Risks (EVAR), to assess risk proneness in a maritime counter-terrorism exercise. EVAR items are distributed among five factors: self-control, danger seeking, energy, impulsiveness, and invincibility. In the study, 10 pilots were submitted to strenuous night flights with limited sleep deprivation. Compared with baseline data, pilots reported an increase in impulsiveness, whereas EVAR factors were consistent in a control group composed of 9 navy crew member. Correlations were observed between mood and alertness and risk factors. These results illustrate how EVAR can be used to evaluate change in risk proneness in individuals submitted to various stressors. But further studies are required to weigh stress factors and environmental conditions in risk propensity with a larger population of various age and personality traits.
authors.affiliation: Antenne Programmes, Division Facteurs Humains, Toulon, BP 55, 83800, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sicard
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jouve
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Blin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States