Commercial Airline Pilots’ Psychosocial Risk Factors: Evaluating the Mechanisms Influencing Job Satisfaction

Year 2024, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 1 - 19, 14.06.2024

Gizem Kara Arseven , Elif Yurdakul

https://doi.org/10.26650/hfaa.1471279

Abstract

Airlines have expanded their flight schedules and networks, making air travel more accessible but requiring pilots to navigate dense, fluctuating schedules and complex duties. The biological and psychosocial risks facing pilots, including fatigue, disrupted circadian rhythms, and stress, directly impact flight safety and have gained attention. Yet, exploring these psychosocial risks from an Industrial/Organizational Psychology perspective remains a relatively new approach. The current study seeks to advance the field by examining the mechanisms underpinning job satisfaction among commercial airline pilots, specifically focusing on the impact of psychosocial risk factors inherent in their profession. To achieve this goal, the study tested the relationship between psychological capital, mindfulness, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. This exploratory research aimed to elucidate the mechanisms of job satisfaction among pilots employed by commercial airlines in Turkey, with data collected from 94 commercial airline pilots. Results revealed a positive relationship between psychological capital, mindfulness, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. Additionally, the findings indicated that work-life balance mediates both mindfulness-job satisfaction and psychological capital-job satisfaction relationships. According to the study findings, work-life balance has a significant role in mediating the personal strengths and pilots’ satisfaction level with their jobs. The direct and indirect impacts of mindfulness, psychological capital, and work-life balance on job satisfaction suggest that enhanced work-life balance and strengthened personal resources positively influence job satisfaction, within the context of psychosocial risk factors faced by commercial airline pilots.

Keywords

Mindfulness, Psychological capital, Work-life balance, Job satisfaction, Psychosocial risks

Ticari Havayolu Pilotlarının Psikososyal Risk Faktörleri: İş Tatminini Etkileyen Mekanizmaların Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Hava ulaşımının yolcular için daha erişilebilir hale getirmek için havayolları uçuş frekanslarını ve ağlarını çoğaltmışlardır. Bu koşullar, ticari havayolu pilotlarının karmaşık ve zorlu uçuş görevlerini yönetirken, yoğun ve değişken uçuş programlarına ayak uydurmalarını gerektirmektedir. Ticari havayolu pilotlarının, havacılık endüstrisinin doğasından kaynaklanan yorgunluk, bozulmuş sirkadiyen ritim, artan stres gibi biyolojik ve psikososyal riskleri, uçuş emniyeti ile doğrudan ilişkisi nedeniyle dikkat çekmektedir. Ancak ticari havayolu pilotlarının psikososyal risk faktörlerinin Endüstriyel/Örgüt Psikolojisi kapsamında araştırılması halen oldukça yeni bir yaklaşımdır. Mevcut çalışma, ticari havayolu pilotlarının iş tatmininin altında yatan mekanizmaları değerlendirerek ve ticari havayolu pilotluğu mesleğinde psikososyal risk faktörleri etrafındaki modelleri bağlamsallaştırarak gelişen alana katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamıştır. Bu amaca ulaşmak için psikolojik sermaye, bilinçli farkındalık, iş-yaşam dengesi ve iş tatmini arasındaki ilişki test edilmiştir. Bu çalışma, Türkiye merkezli ticari havayollarında çalışan pilotların iş tatmini mekanizmalarının altını çizmek için keşfedici bir araştırma olarak tasarlanmıştır. Veriler 94 ticari havayolu pilotunun katılımı ile elde edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, psikolojik sermaye, bilinçli farkındalık, iş yaşam dengesi ve iş tatmini arasında pozitif bir ilişki olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca bulgular, iş-yaşam dengesinin hem bilinçli farkındalık-iş tatmini hem de psikolojik sermaye-iş tatmini ilişkilerine aracılık ettiğini göstermiştir. Araştırma bulguları bilinçli farkındalık, psikolojik sermaye ve iş-yaşam dengesinin iş tatmini üzerindeki doğrudan ve dolaylı etkilerini; artan iş-yaşam dengesi ve güçlü kişisel kaynakların, ticari havayolu pilotlarının psikososyal risk faktörü olarak değerlendirilen iş tatminini olumlu yönde etkileyebileceğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

Bilinçli farkındalık, Psikolojik sermaye, İş-yaşam dengesi, İş tatmini, Psikososyal riskler

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