Relationship between stress management and decision making: A research on pilots

Abstract

Uncertainty and crisis create a stressful environment. Among these environments, airline pilots must cope with this stress and manage their workload at the same time. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and study the effect of stress factors on the decision-making process of airline pilots to prevent undesired and unsafe events during flight operations. In this context, the aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between decision-making behaviors and stress management of civil aviation pilots. The study was conducted using the quantitative data analysis method. The data obtained from 206 captains and first mates working in a private airline company operating in Turkiye were analyzed using SPSS 20 and SMART PLS 4 programs. In the research findings, it was established that there were statistically significant relationships between coping with stress and decision-making behaviors. It was noted that pilots’ education level and average annual flight hours differed significantly in coping with stress and decision-making behaviors. As a result of the study, statistically significant relationships were observed between stress-coping methods and decision-making behaviors, which draws attention to the importance of pilots’ stress-coping methods. Accordingly, it is thought that planning scenario-based training simulators for pilots, enrolling qualified candidates in pilot training, and determining lower-limit rules for flight experience are important for effective decision-making processes.