The mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between mindfulness level and perceived stress level in pilots

Airline pilots are the members of an occupation that is exposed to stressful and challenging working conditions. Factors such as undertaking tasks that require intense concentration for long hours, coping with constantly changing weather conditions, and making decisions under time pressure to avoid disruption of flight operations affect pilots' stress levels. Understanding the mechanisms affecting pilots' stress levels can contribute to improvements in working conditions and indirectly support flight safety. In this study, the relationships between the cognitive and affective mindfulness and life satisfaction concepts and the perceived stress levels of pilots were examined. Additionally, research variables were also compared according to the participants' demographic characteristics such as age, current duty, and airline experience. 130 airline pilots participated in the study. The data consisting of Sociodemographic Form, Life Satisfaction Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale were obtained online. Data analysis was completed using the SPSS program. Correlation was utilized to determine the relationship between variables, and independent sample T-Test and one-way ANOVA were applied to compare the demographic data. Mediator variable analysis was made using the SPSS Process Macro extension. According to the results, a significant relationship was found between cognitive and affective mindfulness, life satisfaction, and perceived stress. As another hypothesis of the research, the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between cognitive and affective mindfulness and perceived stress was also found to be significant. In this study, it is aimed to create a basis for supporting the psychological health of pilots by improving their skills in coping with stress and designing support programs for pilots working in the civil aviation sector.