Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Collegiate Aviators

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-method research was to determine if students who are enrolled in a collegiate flight program exhibit significantly higher rates of depression, stress, and anxiety. This study compared collegiate flight students to non-professional flight students to determine whether collegiate flight students have higher rates of depression, anxiety or stress. In addition, this study sought to determine if there were higher depression, anxiety, and stress levels in upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) than in lowerclassmen (freshman and sophomore). These groups were compared to each other by using results from the DASS-21, a survey that measures depression, anxiety, and stress. There were no statistically significant results indicating no singular group is more or less prone to depression, anxiety, or stress.