Minoretti Piercarlo, Fortuna Giovanni, D'Acquino Davide, Lavdas Konstantinos
Occupational Health, Studio Minoretti, Oggiono, ITA.
Cureus. 2025 Feb 3;17(2):e78411. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78411. eCollection 2025 Feb.
Aviophobia (AP), or fear of flying, is a common situational phobia that can profoundly impact an individual's personal, social, and professional life. Investigating personality traits through the framework of the five-factor model (FFM) and their relationship to AP may offer valuable insights with potential applications in preventive and therapeutic interventions. Here, we conducted a case-control analysis comparing the "big five" personality dimensions between individuals with AP and frequent fliers (FFs). We specifically selected FFs as controls due to their demonstrated ability to adapt to aviation-related scenarios and regular exposure to flight environments.
We included 60 subjects who met the DSM-5 criteria for specific phobia (situational type: flying), matched in a 1:1 ratio, with 60 FFs serving as controls. Personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), a validated 60-item instrument that evaluates five core personality dimensions: neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to explore independent associations between the "big five" personality dimensions and the presence of AP.
Subjects with AP exhibited significantly higher neuroticism scores (36.2 versus30.8, p < 0.001) and lower scores for conscientiousness (40.7 versus45.4, p < 0.001) and agreeableness (37.4 versus42.2, p < 0.001) compared to FFs. No significant differences were observed with respect to extraversion or openness. In a fully adjusted multivariable model, neuroticism (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.05-1.23, p < 0.001), conscientiousness (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77-0.93, p < 0.001), and agreeableness (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.79-0.94, P < 0.01) remained independently associated with AP.
We identified distinct personality profiles among individuals with AP compared to FFs, characterized by elevated neuroticism and diminished conscientiousness and agreeableness. The current findings may enhance our understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying flight-related anxiety and suggest the value of personality-based approaches in developing targeted interventions for AP.
飞行恐惧症（AP），即对飞行的恐惧，是一种常见的情境性恐惧症，会对个人的生活、社交和职业生活产生深远影响。通过五因素模型（FFM）框架研究人格特质及其与飞行恐惧症的关系，可能会为预防和治疗干预提供有价值的见解及潜在应用。在此，我们进行了一项病例对照分析，比较了患有飞行恐惧症的个体与常坐飞机者（FFs）之间的“大五”人格维度。由于常坐飞机者已证明有能力适应与航空相关的场景并经常接触飞行环境，我们特意选择他们作为对照。
我们纳入了60名符合《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第5版（DSM - 5）特定恐惧症（情境类型：飞行）标准的受试者，按1:1比例与60名常坐飞机者作为对照进行匹配。使用NEO五因素问卷（NEO - FFI）评估人格特质，这是一种经过验证的包含60个条目的工具，用于评估五个核心人格维度：神经质、外向性、尽责性、宜人性和开放性。进行多变量逻辑回归分析，以探讨“大五”人格维度与飞行恐惧症之间的独立关联。
与常坐飞机者相比，患有飞行恐惧症的受试者神经质得分显著更高（36.2对30.8，p < 0.001），尽责性得分更低（40.7对45.4，p < 0.001），宜人性得分也更低（37.4对42.2，p < 0.001）。在外向性或开放性方面未观察到显著差异。在一个完全调整的多变量模型中，神经质（比值比[OR] = 1.14，95%置信区间[CI] = 1.05 - 1.23，p < 0.001）、尽责性（OR = 0.85，95% CI = 0.77 - 0.93，p < 0.001）和宜人性（OR = 0.87，95% CI = 0.79 - 0.94，P < 0.01）仍然与飞行恐惧症独立相关。
我们发现，与常坐飞机者相比，患有飞行恐惧症的个体具有独特的人格特征，表现为神经质升高，尽责性和宜人性降低。目前的研究结果可能会加深我们对与飞行相关焦虑背后心理机制的理解，并表明基于人格的方法在制定针对飞行恐惧症的靶向干预措施中的价值。
