Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-73/15
Title and Subtitle: Susceptibility to anxiety and shift difficulty as determinants of state anxiety in air traffic controllers
Report Date: December 1973
Authors: Smith RC, Melton CE Jr
Abstract: The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to assess the anxiety of air traffic controllers who had experienced difficult and easy work shifts. Eighty volunteers completed the STAI before and after two or more eight-hour work shifts. Controllers relatively high in anxiety proneness tended to report higher levels of anxiety in association with control work than those relatively low in anxiety proneness. The mean A-state score after shifts was higher than the mean score before shifts. It was also determined that the increase in anxiety during shifts was greater for difficult shifts.
Key Words: Anxiety, Air Traffic Controllers, Performance, Work Load, Job analysis
No. of Pages: 3
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-73/15
Title and Subtitle: Susceptibility to anxiety and shift difficulty as determinants of state anxiety in air traffic controllers
Report Date: December 1973
Authors: Smith RC, Melton CE Jr
Abstract: The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to assess the anxiety of air traffic controllers who had experienced difficult and easy work shifts. Eighty volunteers completed the STAI before and after two or more eight-hour work shifts. Controllers relatively high in anxiety proneness tended to report higher levels of anxiety in association with control work than those relatively low in anxiety proneness. The mean A-state score after shifts was higher than the mean score before shifts. It was also determined that the increase in anxiety during shifts was greater for difficult shifts.
Key Words: Anxiety, Air Traffic Controllers, Performance, Work Load, Job analysis
No. of Pages: 3
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012