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Study of Psychological Stress Among Air Traffic Controllers

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Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics (HCII 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 14017))

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate the psychological stress experienced by air traffic controllers in order to improve their well-being and ensure safe and efficient air transportation. The research approach consists of three main steps. Firstly, the daily work content of controllers is analyzed and divided into three categories: work factors, management factors, and personal factors. Based on this analysis, an index system is developed comprising 12 factor indicators that can influence controller psychological stress. Secondly, a questionnaire is designed based on the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) and the controller’s psychological stress influence factor index. The questionnaire includes two parts: a test to determine the level of psychological stress and a ranking of the importance of each factor indicator. Finally, a questionnaire survey is conducted among air traffic controllers, and the collected data is analyzed to identify patterns and trends. The results show that 92% of air traffic controllers experience some level of psychological stress, with stress levels increasing with age and working time. Based on the findings, the paper proposes measures to mitigate the negative effects of psychological stress on air traffic controllers.

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Acknowledgements

Authors would like to express special thanks to all members for their contributions to this research. Their supports and the enthusiasm of their respective teams were invaluable in facilitating the authors’ research efforts.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Air Traffic Management Academy, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, 300300, China

    Zhaoning Zhang & Zhuochen Shi

  2. Air Traffic Control Industry Management Office, Civil Aviation Administration of China, Beijing, 100010, China

    Ning Li

  3. College of Arts and Sciences, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, 32114, USA

    Yiyang Zhang

  4. Zhejiang Low-Altitude Flight Service Center Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, 311600, China

    Xiangrong Xu

Authors
  1. Zhaoning Zhang
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  2. Zhuochen Shi
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  3. Ning Li
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  4. Yiyang Zhang
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  5. Xiangrong Xu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhuochen Shi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Don Harris

  2. Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK

    Wen-Chin Li

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Zhang, Z., Shi, Z., Li, N., Zhang, Y., Xu, X. (2023). Study of Psychological Stress Among Air Traffic Controllers. In: Harris, D., Li, WC. (eds) Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 14017. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35392-5_38

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35392-5_38

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-35391-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-35392-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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