Effective strategies for reducing pilots' job burnout: cognitive reappraisal guided by high resilience with perceived stress as a mediator.

Abstract

The aviation industry is acknowledged for its high-risk, high-pressure nature, where pilots' job burnout has adverse effects on well-being and industry performance. Understanding solutions to pilot job burnout is crucial for addressing the aforementioned challenges. Cognitive reappraisal, a double-edged sword, has yet to be proven effective in its application to this specific population, and there is a lack of research explaining why cognitive reappraisal can reduce job burnout. This empirical study, collecting data from 106 pilots, reveals cognitive reappraisal's efficacy in reducing burnout by lowering perceived stress (R²= 0.497). The reduction is modulated by pilots' psychological resilience, indicating higher resilience enhances cognitive reappraisal's effectiveness. Additionally, perceived stress mediates differently in emotional exhaustion compared to dehumanization or reduced personal accomplishment. This research not only proposes, for the first time, a theoretical model depicting the impact relationships of pilot job burnout but also provides practical and targeted recommendations for reducing pilot job burnout.