Pilot mental health assessment and support : a practitioner's guide

434 Pages·2017·1.747 MB·English

by  Peter Scragg, Robert Bor, Margaret Oakes, Carina Eriksen

Pilot Mental Health
Assessment and Support
The presentation of mental illness at work has different implications and
consequences depending on the specific nature of the job, work context, regulatory
framework and risks for the employee, organisation and society. Naturally there
are certain occupational groups where human factors and/or mental illness could
impair safety and mental acuity, and with potentially devastating consequences. For
pilots, the medical criteria for crew licensing are stipulated by regulatory aviation
authorities worldwide, and these include specific mental illness exclusions. The
challenge of assessment for mental health problems is, however, complex and the
responsibility for psychological screening and testing falls to a range of different
specialists and groups including AMEs (authorised aviation medical examiners),
GPs and physicians, airline human resources departments, psychologists, human
factor specialists and pilots themselves.
Extending and developing the ideas of Aviation Mental Health (2006), which
described a range of psychological issues and problems that may affect pilots and
the consequences of these, this book presents an authoritative, comprehensive
and practical guide to modern, evidence-based practice in the field of mental
health assessment, treatment and care. It features contributions from experts in
the field drawn from several countries, professions and representing a range of
aviation-related organisations, displaying a range of different skills and methods
that can be used for the clinical assessment of pilots and in relation to specific
mental health problems and syndromes.
Robert Bor, DPhil CPsychol CSci FBPsS FRAeS UKCP Reg, is a Registered
and Chartered Clinical Counselling and Health Psychologist, Registered
Aviation Psychologist and Co-Director of the Centre for Aviation Psychology.
Carina Eriksen, MSc DipPsych CPsychol FBPsS BABCP, is an HCPC
Registered and BPS Chartered Consultant Counselling Psychologist and
Registered Aviation Psychologist.
Margaret Oakes, MA (Cantab) MSc, Dip Psych, DPsych, CPsychol, is a
Counselling Psychologist and airline pilot.
Peter Scragg, BSc PsychD FBPsS, is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and
Principal Teaching Fellow at University College London.
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Pilot Mental Health
Assessment and Support
A practitioner’s guide
Edited by
Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen,
Margaret Oakes and Peter Scragg
First edition published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 selection and editorial matter, Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen,
Margaret Oakes and Peter Scragg; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen, Margaret Oakes and Peter
Scragg to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and
of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Bor, Robert, editor.
Title: Pilot mental health assessment and support : a practitioner’s
guide / [edited by] Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen, Margaret Oakes and
Peter Scragg.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016030855| ISBN 9781138222038 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781315401942 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Air pilots--Mental health. | Air pilots--Mental
health services. | Aviation psychology.
Classification: LCC RC1085 .P45 2017 | DDC 155.9/65--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016030855
ISBN: 978-1-138-22203-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-40194-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by HWA Text and Data Management, London
Contents
List of figures viii
List of tables x
List of contributors xi
Foreword xxiv
1 Pilot mental health in the modern era: headlines and reality 1
ROBERT BOR, CARINA ERIKSEN, MARGARET OAKES AND PETER SCRAGG
PART I
Pilot selection assessments 21
2 Pilot selection: an overview of aptitude and ability assessment 23
MONICA MARTINUSSEN
3 The role of assessment in pilot selection 40
CARL HOFFMANN AND ARIANNA HOFFMANN
4 Personality assessment of airline pilot applicants 62
JAMES N. BUTCHER
PART II
Pilot clinical assessments 79
5 Between the joystick and the seat: getting inside pilots’ minds
using clinical interviewing 81
PAUL DICKENS
6 The practicalities of clinical history-taking and mental state
assessments of pilots 97
ROBERT BOR, CARINA ERIKSEN, PETER SCRAGG AND MARGARET OAKES
vi Contents
7 Assessing cognitive function in airline pilots: the importance
of neuropsychological assessment 116
SARAH MACKENZIE ROSS
8 Assessment of personality 131
PAUL HARRIS
9 The role and scope of psychological testing in risk reduction 150
POOSHAN NAVATHE AND SHRUTI NAVATHE
10 Assessment for fatigue among pilots 172
RIES SIMONS
11 Assessment following incidents, accidents and trauma 203
MORTEN KJELLESVIG
12 The practicalities of fitting mental health screening into
the time-limited annual medical check and the problems
of confidentiality 208
MARTIN HUDSON AND KEVIN HERBERT
PART III
Mental health, well-being and support for pilots 227
13 The use of psychotropic medications and fitness to fly 229
RUI CORREIA
14 Human factors and factor of the human: pilot performance
and pilot mental health 245
NICKLAS DAHLSTROM
15 Promoting mental health and well-being in aviation 259
BEN CAMPION
16 Stigma associated with mental illness among aircrew 272
TODD HUBBARD
17 Psychosocial stressors associated with being a pilot 286
CRISTINA ALBUQUERQUE AND MARIA FONSECA
Contents vii
18 Promoting good psychological health amongst pilots: coping
strategies for identifying and managing stress to reduce the risk
of mental health problems and improve performance at work 309
CARINA ERIKSEN AND ROBERT BOR
19 Behavioural dynamics on the flight deck and implications for
mental health 325
MARTIN CASEY AND BENJAMIN LAWLER
20 Peer-to-peer support and development programmes for pilots:
time for a holistic approach 344
GERHARD FAHNENBRUCK AND GUNNAR STEINHARDT
21 Peer support programme for pilots 367
SEAN GIBBS
22 Pilots’ emotions in the cockpit 382
VERGARD NERGÅRD AND BENGT SVENDSEN
Index 398
Figures
1.1 Example pilot schedules 3
2.1 Selection system 24
2.2 Evidence-based practice 31
4.1 Validity scale profile in the initial administration of the
MMPI-2 to Edwin S. 73
4.2 Validity scale profile in the readministration of the MMPI-2
to Edwin S. 74
4.3 MMPI-2 clinical and supplementary scale profile for Edwin S. 75
6.1 Pilot interactions 99
9.1 Decision-making framework of when to test for a condition 166
10.1 Means and 95% confidence intervals of mean scores on the
seven-point SP Fatigue Scale 183
10.2 In-flight recording of electro-encephalogram and
electro-oculogram 186
10.3 Wrist-worn actigraph for ambulant sleep monitoring 187
12.1 Time allocation during a typical medical examination 216
12.2 The component parts of a thorough pilot medical interview 219
19.1 Building the relationship 327
19.2 Transfer to aircraft 328
19.3 Aircraft preparation 329
19.4 Initial flight 331
19.5 Cruise 333
19.6 Descent and landing 334
19.7 Post flight 335
20.1 Stiftung Mayday 345
20.2 Number of incidents 346
20.3 2015 at Stiftung Mayday (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010) 347
20.4 Intervention process 348
20.5 The Stiftung Mayday team in 2016 350
20.6 The international network 350
20.7 Simplified cost structure 351
20.8 Dr. Otto Schily hands over as patron to Dr. Thomas Enders 351
20.9 Generic approach for pilot support – a development programme 356
List of figures ix
20.10 Summary of strengths for pilot support and development
programmes 363
20.11 Summary of weaknesses for pilot support and development
programmes 364
20.12 Summary of opportunities for pilot support and development
programmes 365
20.13 Summary of threats for pilot support and development
programmes 365