Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T16:00:33.404Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Psychological Intervention in Civilian Flying Phobia

Evaluation and a Three-Year Follow-Up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

C. P. Walder
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry
J. S. McCracken*
Affiliation:
Department of Community Health, Department of General Practice
M. Herbert
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry; The University, Nottingham
P. T. James
Affiliation:
St Ann's Hospital, Nottingham, The Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne
N. Brewitt
Affiliation:
European Operations, British Midland Airways, Manx Airline, Isle of Man
*
The University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Clifton Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 2UH

Extract

Thirty-eight people with a moderate to severe degree of aerophobia self-referred themselves to a course designed to help them travel by air. The course involved three long sessions based on giving information, graded exposure without avoidance, and group support with natural coping models. Measures of self-reported anxiety levels were taken at regular intervals. The results showed that being given information or undergoing a simulated flight had little effect on perceived anxiety. Prolonged exposure to flying had a marked effect on reducing anxiety and anticipated apprehension about future flying. At one-year and three-year follow-up, 40% and 60% of participants had flown commercially, although there was some minor restoration of anticipated anxiety associated with flying; 84% showed less anxiety about flying. Psychological intervention, in collaboration with airlines, may have marked benefits in reducing fear of flying.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1987 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Buck, C. & Simpson, H. (1978) Season of birth among the sibs of schizophrenics. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 358360.Google Scholar
Dales, P. (1968) Month of birth and schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, suppl. 203, 5560.Google Scholar
Dales, P. (1975) Season of Birth: a Study of Schizophrenia and Other Mental Disorders. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Co. JONES, I. H. & FREI, D. (1979) Seasonal births in schizophrenia: a southern hemisphere study using matched pairs. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 59, 164172.Google Scholar
Hake, E. (1976) The season of birth of siblings of psychiatric patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 4954.Google Scholar
Hake, E. Price, J. & Slater, E. (1974) Mental disorder and season of birth: a national sample compared with the general population. British Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 8186.Google Scholar
Hake, E. & Moran, P. (1981) A relation between seasonal temperature and the birth rate of schizophrenic patients. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 63, 396405.Google Scholar
Kinney, D. K. & Jacobsen, B. (1978) Environmental factors in schizophrenia: new adoption study evidence. In The Nature of Schizophrenia: New Approaches in Research and Treatment (eds L. C. Wynne, R. L. Cromwell & S. Matthysse). New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Ødeoaaro, Ø. (1974) Season of birth in the general population and in patients with mental disorder in Norway. British Journal of Psychiatry, 125, 397405.Google Scholar
O'Hare, A., Walsh, D. & Torrey, F. (1980) Seasonality of schizophrenic births in Ireland. British Journal of Psychiatry, 137, 7477.Google Scholar
Parker, G. & Neilson, M. (1976) Mental disorder and season of birth: a southern hemisphere study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 3 S5 361.Google Scholar
Pulver, A. E., Stewart, W., Carpenter, W. T. & Childs, B. (1983) Risk factors in schizophrenia: season of birth in Maryland, USA. British Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 389396.Google Scholar
Shur, E. (1982) Season of birth in high and low genetic risk schizophrenics. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 410413.Google Scholar
Torrey, E. F., Torrey, B. B. & Peterson, M. R. (1977) Seasonality of schizophrenic births in the United States. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 10651070.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Videbech, T., Weeke, A. & Dupont, A. (1974) Endogenous psychoses and season of birth. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 50, 202218.Google Scholar
Watson, C. G., Kucala, T., Tilleskjor, C. & Jacobs, L. (1984) Schizophrenic birth seasonality in relation to the incidence of infectious diseases and temperature extremes. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 8590.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.