This work aimed to determine daytime sleepiness and sleep complaints prevalence and the corresponding influence on perceived fatigue and to evaluate the influence of sociodemographic parameters and labour variables on sleep complaints, sleepiness and fatigue.A questionnaire was developed including socio-economic and labour issues and instruments, focused in sleep and fatigue. The response rate was 32% and the final sample had 435 pilots.The prevalence of sleep complaints was 34.9%, daytime sleepiness 59.3% and fatigue 90.6%.The high prevalence of sleep complaints, sleepiness and fatigue was disclosed in pilots, with those who fly short/medium having an added risk of fatigue.

The analysis of fatigue levels in each type of aviator showed that medium/short-haul pilots presented the highest levels of total and mental fatigue. This study produced the first prevalence values of total and mental fatigue among Portuguese airline pilots, which represents a great step to understanding and addressing this critical phenomenon.

Night periods and time-zone crossing may explain higher prevalence levels of sleep disturbances in L-H pilots. However, the values for daytime sleepiness were higher in SM-H pilots, which may be attributed to diminished sleep caused by a combination of frequent early starts and long duty periods. Taking into account the large differences between the two types of flights, different regulatory limits should be considered by aviation authorities. Reis C, Mestre C, Canhão H, Gradwell D, Paiva T. Sleep and fatigue differences in the two most common types of commercial flight operations. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2016; 87(9):811-815.

The present paper describes the translation process and psychometric properties of the Portuguese versions of two self-report scales for fear of flying assessment: FAS and FAM. Internal consistency and convergent and divergent validities were assessed in a sample of 960 Portuguese speaking population. Results confirmed FAS-PT as a 3 factor model and FAM-PT as a 2 factor model, like the original versions. Cronbach's α coefficient showed excellent values for FAS-PT (.99) and FAM-PT (.97). Convergent validity showed a strong correlation in both scales, with r values between .75 and .87. In opposite, divergent validity presented a poor correlation in both scales, with r values between .28 and .38. The study informs about the validity and reliability of these scales, enabling their use within Portuguese language speakers, for investigation and clinical settings. Nevertheless, this study should be replicated in other samples and other forms of validity should be explored.

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