Mental Health and Substance Use Characteristics of Flight Attendants Enrolled in an In-Patient Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence rates of co-occurring mental health problems among 70 flight attendants in substance abuse treatment. Results indicated that flight attendants in treatment were more likely to experience alcohol dependency than drug dependency. A high proportion of participants reported clinical levels of anxiety, major depressive disorder, dysthymia, and dependent personality disorder. Quality of life indicators suggested that the flight attendants were slightly above average in life satisfaction for a treatment population. Implications for clinical practice with this population were also discussed.