How Do Depression Medications Taken by Pilots Affect Passengers’ Willingness to Fly—A Mediation Analysis

Abstract

The mental health of airline pilots has been a concern for decades. In 2010, the United States Federal Aviation Administration began allowing four types of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to be used by pilots suffering from depression. After a procedural wait period, pilots may be awarded a special issuance of their medical certificates to maintain flight currency. Missing from the literature was any research on consumer's perceptions of pilots taking antidepressants, along with some other approved medications. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine consumer's willingness to fly once told that the pilot of their hypothetical flight was taking medication compared to a control group in which the pilot was not on any prescribed and approved medications. The current study also manipulated dosage levels and gathered affect data to determine if consumers' responses were rationally or emotionally motivated. Across two studies, consumers were less willing to fly when the pilot was taking medication, and when the medication was a high dose opposed to a low dose. Additionally, affect was found to completely mediate the relationship between three of the four medications when compared to the control condition, suggesting that participants' responses were emotionally driven. Finally, a discussion of the findings and practical implications of the study are provided.

Factors that predict passengers willingness to fly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This study also examines frequency of air travel in order to determine whether frequent travelers for business would indicate different willingness to fly than those who travel less or travel purely for pleasure. The Willingness to Fly scale ( Rice et al, 2015 , 2020 ) is a scale developed, and subsequently validated in numerous studies analyzing participant's desire to fly in various scenarios ( Rice and Winter 2015 ; Rice et al, 2015 ; Rice et al, 2015a , Rice et al, 2015b ; Winter et al, 2017 ). Therefore, the willingness to fly scale was selected as a valid measure of the outcome variable in the current study.…”

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“…Several consumer research studies have showed that emotions play a key role when a person is put in a situation that involves decision-making, and can be a mediating effect in relation to consumer opinions and trust (Mehta, Rice, & Rao, 2016;Mehta, Rice, Winter, & Buza, 2017;Rice, Winter, Kraemer, Mehta, & Oyman, 2015;Winter, Rice, Friendenreich, Mehta, & Kaiser, 2017;Winter, Rice, & Mehta, 2014). As mentioned in the previous section, emotions can cloud a person's ability to make sensible decisions.…”

Perceptions Toward the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program and Willingness to Fly

“…While the purpose of this study is to gauge willingness to fly and whether that willingness is rooted in emotion, it follows previous studies inside and outside of aviation that have used affect as a potential mediator to explain the relationship between the condition and willingness (Babin, & Attaway, 2000; Baker & Cameron, 1996; Campbell, 2007; Rice, Winter, Kraemer, Mehta, & Oyman, 2015; Winter, Rice, & Mehta, 2014). This study anticipates finding similar results to the previous research that suggest that the relationship between condition and willingness will be mediated by affect or emotion.…”