Assessing the Mental Wellness of Part 141 Collegiate Aviation Students and their Willingness to Seek Professional Help
Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Graduate
individual
What campus are you from?
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Bill Deng Pan, Graduate Student
Lead Presenter's Name
Bill Deng Pan
Faculty Mentor Name
Flavio Antonio Coimbra Mendonca
Abstract
Collegiate aviation students encounter distinct mental wellness challenges arising from the rigorous demands of their academic studies, flight training, and personal health and lifestyle. This ongoing study utilizes a non-experimental survey approach to evaluate the mental wellness of collegiate aviation students, including Part 141 pilots, air traffic controllers, Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanics, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) students, as well as their willingness to seek professional help for mental health concerns. The research team administered a survey that included demographic questions, established mental wellness assessments, and open-response personal reflection questions. The survey featured the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale to measure anxiety levels, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depression levels, and the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale to evaluate self-stigma associated with seeking professional assistance. The personal reflection questions will help researchers assess concerns about collegiate aviation students disclosing mental health information to the Federal Aviation Administration and its impact on their careers. This research will offer valuable insights into the unique mental health challenges faced by this group, helping students realize they are not alone in their struggles and encouraging them to seek support. By identifying the barriers to seeking mental health support, the study seeks to recommend strategies to better integrate mental health resources into aviation training curriculums. The findings of this study are expected to offer actionable guidance for universities to enhance the overall well-being and academic success of aviation students, providing insight on how institutions can better support their students.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
No
Assessing the Mental Wellness of Part 141 Collegiate Aviation Students and their Willingness to Seek Professional Help
Collegiate aviation students encounter distinct mental wellness challenges arising from the rigorous demands of their academic studies, flight training, and personal health and lifestyle. This ongoing study utilizes a non-experimental survey approach to evaluate the mental wellness of collegiate aviation students, including Part 141 pilots, air traffic controllers, Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanics, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) students, as well as their willingness to seek professional help for mental health concerns. The research team administered a survey that included demographic questions, established mental wellness assessments, and open-response personal reflection questions. The survey featured the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale to measure anxiety levels, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess depression levels, and the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale to evaluate self-stigma associated with seeking professional assistance. The personal reflection questions will help researchers assess concerns about collegiate aviation students disclosing mental health information to the Federal Aviation Administration and its impact on their careers. This research will offer valuable insights into the unique mental health challenges faced by this group, helping students realize they are not alone in their struggles and encouraging them to seek support. By identifying the barriers to seeking mental health support, the study seeks to recommend strategies to better integrate mental health resources into aviation training curriculums. The findings of this study are expected to offer actionable guidance for universities to enhance the overall well-being and academic success of aviation students, providing insight on how institutions can better support their students.