title: Flying Into Depression.
abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests long work hours adversely affect mental health across a variety of domains. Mental health issues have been found to negatively affect work performance. This finding was highlighted in the aviation industry by the 2015 Germanwings incident in which 150 people died. Further investigation into work hours and their associated factors (e.g., demographic characteristics and experiences of sleep and fatigue in the cockpit) contributing to mental health issues among pilots is warranted. A cross-sectional survey investigating attitudes and experiences of fatigue was developed and distributed to commercial airline pilots. Results found pilots who reported typically spending longer hours on duty per week were twice as likely to report feeling depressed or anxious. Pilots' experiences of job-related sleep disturbance and fatigue may explain why pilots who typically spend long hours on duty each week are more likely to report feeling depressed or anxious.
authors: 1 Dublin City University.
authors: Anna Donnla
authors: AD
authors: O'Hagan
authors: 1 Dublin City University.
authors: Johann
authors: J
authors: Issartel
authors: 2 University of Wolverhampton.
authors: Alan
authors: A
authors: Nevill
authors: 3 University of Limerick.
authors: Giles
authors: G
authors: Warrington
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005060:Europe; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000070356:Pilots / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology*; D016526:Workload / Q000592:standards
keywords: binary logistic regression; depression in pilots; duty hours; fatigue; sleep disturbance