Post accident/incident counseling: some exploratory findings.

An examination of the literature, and other sources of information, suggested that there might be prophylactic value in early psychological intervention following crewmember involvement in stressful incidents. An exploratory study, at a small commercial pilot base (c.200 pilots), was undertaken to assess the value of early intervention. Pilots were automatically referred to an independent counseling service if abnormal flight events were judged to have involved sudden, unanticipated, or extreme stress. While some individuals came through their experience relatively unaffected, a surprising proportion did not. Several individuals took the opportunity to voluntarily return for additional counseling while others required anxiolytic drug treatment. The initial findings of this exploratory study strongly suggest that commercial pilots are more frequently subject to a potentially debilitating stress reaction than heretofore suspected. This has obvious implications for intervention and prevention, as well as long-term stress management for commercial pilots.