Background: Airlines, aviation organizations, and their employees were largely
unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Most international airlines have stopped flying
or are focusing on cargo flights and medical and rescue operations. The COVID-19 crisis
has exposed flight crew, relatives, and passengers to high psychological pressure. These
stressors can lead to psychological tensions such as anxiety and depression. This study
aimed to investigate the factors affecting the incidence of depression in active pilots
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subjects and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted online with the
assistance of the Aviation Health Center in Indonesia. A total of 29 active pilots were
selected for this study. The dependent variable was depression. The independent
variables were working period, flying hours, knowledge, and behavior related to COVID-
19 prevention. Depression was measured by the DASS-42 questionnaire. The data were
analyzed using multiple linear regression.
Results: The incidence of pilot depression decreased with good preventive behavior (b=
-0.51; 95%CI=-0.83 to -0.19; p= 0.003), and it was statistically significant. The incidence
of pilot depression decreased with age >37 years old (b=-0.03; 95%CI=-0.06 to 0.01; p=
0.054), working period ≥1 year (b=-0.01; 95%CI=-0.02 to 0.01; p= 0.293), good
knowledge (b=-0.09; 95%CI=-0.46 to 0.27; p= 0.598), but they were statistically not
significant. Poor attitude (b= 0.10; 95%CI= -0.46 to 0.67; p= 0.709) increased the
incidence of pilot depression, but it was statistically not significant.
Conclusion: The risk of pilot depression decreases with a good preventive behavior,
age >37 years, working period ≥1 year, and good knowledge. The risk of pilot depression
increases with poor attitude among pilot.
Keywords: airplane, preventive behavior, depression, COVID-19, pilots.