title: Space and motion perception and discomfort in air travel.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The perception of comfort during air trips is determined by several factors. External factors like cabin design and environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, air pressure, noise, and vibration) interact with individual characteristics (anxiety traits, fear of flying, and personality) from arrival at the airport to landing at the destination. In this study, we investigated the influence of space and motion discomfort (SMD), fear of heights, and anxiety on comfort perception during all phases of air travel.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 51 frequent air travelers through a modified version of the Flight Anxiety Situations Questionnaire (FAS), in which new items were added and where the subjects were asked to report their level of discomfort or anxiety (not fear) for each phase of air travel (Chronbach's alpha = 0.974). Correlations were investigated among these scales: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Cohen's Acrophobia Questionnaire, and the Situational Characteristics Questionnaire (SitQ, designed to estimate SMD levels).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Scores of SitQ correlated with discomfort in situations involving space and movement perception (Pearson's rho = 0.311), while discomfort was associated with cognitive mechanisms related to scores in the anxiety scales (Pearson's rho = 0.375). Anxiety traits were important determinants of comfort perception before and after flight, while the influence of SMD was more significant during the time spent in the aircraft cabin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SMD seems to be an important modulator of comfort perception in air travel. Its influence on physical well being and probably on cognitive performance, with possible effects on flight safety, deserves further investigation.
authors: Laboratory of Psychophysics (LIM-23), Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil. rramost@dglnet.com.br
authors: Renato T
authors: RT
authors: Ramos
authors: Danielle A
authors: DA
authors: de Mattos
authors: J Thales S
authors: JT
authors: Rebouças
authors: Ronald D
authors: RD
authors: Ranvaud
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000401:Aircraft; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D013028:Space Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel