1. Background
Skydiving is both physically and mentally demanding, attracting individuals for recreational interest but considered a profession by paratroopers (1, 2). Regular participation leads to skill development, social growth, and comfort in risky situations, as noted in studies (3-5).
Research indicates that stress triggers the fight-or-flight response, activating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system. Studies on skydivers demonstrate how stress elevates energy production and heart rate. Moderate anxiety can drive motivation, while high anxiety impairs performance (6).
Fenz and Epstein found that experienced skydivers had peak anxiety just before jumps, which decreased shortly before and rose again after landing. In contrast, beginners experienced escalating anxiety pre-jump, which subsided after the jump (7).
Advanced skydivers, with more experience, develop self-control mechanisms to manage emotions and anxiety, showing a sharper decline in anxiety closer to the jump. This ability to handle stress improves with experience, resulting in greater happiness and confidence before jumps. Unlike beginners, experienced skydivers can regulate emotions more effectively, reducing the fear of failure (8).
This study examines pre-jump anxiety in paratroopers, aiming to identify factors affecting anxiety levels and their relationship to personality traits, age, and experience at a military center in Guilan province, Iran.
2. Objectives
To investigate the relationship between free-fall skydivers' anxiety and their personality traits.
3. Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 on 85 paratroopers from a military base in Guilan province. Fifty-eight individuals were ultimately selected for the study due to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria required participants to have free-fall experience from heights of at least 800 meters and up to more than 3000 meters, and be 18 years of age or older. Individuals with severe psychological disorders or those taking neuropsychiatric medications were excluded from the study.
According to Morgan's table, a sample size of 70 was determined using a simple random sampling method. However, due to reasons such as military missions, leave, or lack of consent to participate, 58 paratroopers were included in the study. The study employed a demographic questionnaire, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a short form of the NEO Personality Inventory.
Participants completed self-reported questionnaires to assess state anxiety both before and after a jump. They reported current emotions on the state anxiety scale and usual emotions on the trait anxiety scale. Skydivers' experience levels were categorized based on jump height: Beginners up to 800 meters, trained individuals up to 1200 meters, and experienced jumpers over 3000 meters. Questionnaires were administered at various stages of the skydiving experience to capture fluctuations in anxiety levels accurately.
The study protocol received approval from the Research Ethics Committee of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (IR.GUMS.REC.1401.297).
3.1. Measurements
The STAI-X Questionnaire consists of 40 questions designed to measure both state and trait anxiety. Responses are provided on a 4-point scale, with higher scores indicating higher levels of anxiety. Scores are calculated by summing the total scores for 20 statements, with some items scored in reverse. The scores for each anxiety scale range from 20 to 80. The STAI-X has been validated and proven reliable in previous studies, with Cronbach's alphas of 0.886 for trait anxiety and 0.846 for state anxiety in the Persian version. Specifically, in the Persian adaptation of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was 0.886 for trait anxiety and 0.846 for state anxiety (9).
The 60-item NEO Personality Inventory Short Form assesses the five personality dimensions of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, with each dimension measured by 12 questions on a 5-point Likert Scale. This inventory has been validated for use in Iran, with subscale Cronbach's alphas ranging from 0.58 to 0.83 (10). After administering the questionnaires, answer sheets were reviewed to confirm all questions were completed. If any questions were left unanswered, participants were asked to fill them in. For questions that participants did not understand, they were instructed to select the "I have no opinion" option.
3.2. Statistical Analysis
Data characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics, with frequencies and percentages reported for categorical variables and means ± standard deviation for continuous variables. Spearman's correlation test and canonical correlation analysis were employed to examine the relationship between anxiety and personality traits. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare anxiety scores before and after jumps based on various demographic and experience-based variables. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics v. 22, with significance set at P < 0.05.
4. Results
The study found that the majority of participants were under 30 years old (79.3%) and held a bachelor’s degree (39.7%). Additionally, 55.2% were married, and 22.4% had between 10 - 19 years of service experience. Most free-fall paratroopers were beginners (58.6%). Before the jump, 8.6% exhibited high state anxiety, which decreased to 3.4% after the jump. Trait anxiety levels showed that 17.2% of participants had low anxiety, while 31% reported average anxiety. Overall, the results indicate fluctuations in anxiety levels before and after the jump, with a notable decrease in state anxiety and a mix of low and average trait anxiety among participants (Table 1).
Table 1.Distribution of the Level and Score of State and Trait Anxiety in Free Fall Paratroopers Before and After Jump
| Anxiety Level | Percentage | Average ± Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| State anxiety level before jump | 40.16 ± 10.44 | |
| Non or the lowest level | 13 (22.4) | |
| Low | 18 (31) | |
| Average | 22 (37.9) | |
| High | 5 (8.6) | |
| State anxiety level after jump | 39.83 ± 12.14 | |
| Non or the lowest level | 19 (32.8) | |
| Low | 9 (15.5) | |
| Average | 28 (48.3) | |
| High | 2 (3.4) | |
| Trait anxiety | 37.38 ± 10.52 | |
| Non or the lowest level | 30 (51.7) | |
| Low | 10 (17.2) | |
| Average | 18 (31) | |
| High | 0 |
The neuroticism personality trait displayed a significant inverse correlation with anxiety scores before and after the jump, as well as with trait anxiety scores, with a particularly strong correlation observed with trait anxiety. State anxiety scores, both before and after the jump, showed direct relationships with most other factors, except for openness, which was not significant. The correlation with other NEO personality factors was significant but moderately low. Trait anxiety scores showed moderate to high correlations with all factors except openness. Neuroticism scores exhibited a reverse correlation with anxiety but showed a direct relationship with other significant factors (Table 2). The canonical correlation was statistically significant between anxiety type and personality type (rc = 0.74, Wilks Lambda = 0.447, P < 0.001).
Table 2.Relation Between the Anxiety Score and the Personality Factors Score of the NEO Questionnaire in the Studied Free Fall Paratroopers
| Personality Traits | State Anxiety Score Before Jump | State Anxiety Score After Jump | Trait Anxiety Score After Jump |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correlation Coefficient | Correlation Coefficient | Correlation Coefficient | |
| Neuroticism | 0.320 a | 0.430 b | 0.640 b |
| Extraversion | - 0.255 | - 0.292 a | - 0.561 b |
| Openness | - 0.151 | 0.054 | - 0.21 |
| Agreeableness | - 0.315 a | - 0.361 c | - 0.568 b |
| Conscientiousness | - 0.213 | - 0.412 b | - 0.550 b |
a P < 0.05.
b P < 0.001.
c P < 0.01.
The study found that jump height was not significantly related to trait or state anxiety levels before and after the jump. Free-fall paratroopers with a high school diploma exhibited significantly lower levels of state anxiety (P = 0.007) and trait anxiety (P = 0.01) compared to other educational groups. Age was not a significant factor in anxiety scores. However, experienced paratroopers had significantly higher trait anxiety scores (P = 0.013) compared to less experienced participants. No significant relationship was found between state anxiety and experience level.
The data analysis further indicated that the average trait anxiety score (P = 0.013) was higher in experienced paratroopers, a difference that was statistically significant. However, no significant relationship was observed between state anxiety and the level of experience (Table 3).
Table 3.Comparison of State and Trait Anxiety Scores According to Years of Service and Jumping Experience in the Studied Free Fall Paratroopers a
| Variables | State Anxiety Score Before Jump | State Anxiety Score After Jump | Anxiety Score Variations | Trait Anxiety Score After Jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years of service | ||||
| 1 - 9 | 39.29 ± 10.43 | 40.00 ± 12.85 | 0.71 ± 12.85 | 36.84 ± 10.32 |
| 10 - 19 | 43.15 ± 10.32 | 39.23 ± 9.70 | -3.92 ± 10.63 | 41.23 ± 10.92 |
| P | 0.232 | 0.644 | 0.399 | 0.148 |
| Experience in free fall parachuting | ||||
| Beginner free fall paratrooper | 39.76 ± 9.99 | 41.21 ± 12.36 | 1.44 ± 13.39 | 38.00 ± 10.62 |
| Trained free fall paratrooper | 37.56 ± 12.91 | 31.56 ± 11.75 | -6.00 ± 8.72 | 29.56 ± 4.56 |
| Experienced free fall paratrooper | 42.60 ± 10.10 | 41.67 ± 10.44 | -0.93 ± 11.68 | 42.40 ± 10.31 |
| P | 0.468 | 0.098 | 0.183 | 0.013 |
a Values are expressed as mean ± SD.
5. Discussion
The study found no significant difference in state anxiety levels among free-fall paratroopers before and after jumping. However, Boldak and Guszkowska reported a decrease in anxiety levels post-jump (11). Similarly, Meyer et al. and Hare et al. found no significant relationship between anxiety levels before and after jumps (12, 13). Although experienced paratroopers had higher trait anxiety scores, no clear link was found between state anxiety and experience levels. Boldak and Guszkowska also observed a connection between anxiety and experience, with beginners showing a greater decrease in anxiety levels after jumping compared to experienced skydivers (11).
Meyer et al. reported no significant link between the anxiety levels of experienced and beginner skydivers (12). In contrast, Price et al. indicated a connection between a skydiver's experience and anxiety levels, both before and after a jump (14). Clemente-Suárez et al. found that beginner skydivers exhibited the highest pre-jump anxiety levels but also experienced a more substantial reduction in anxiety post-jump, though their post-jump anxiety remained higher than that of experienced skydivers and controls (15).
Most studies suggest a strong link between experience level and anxiety among parachutists, although how samples are divided, how experience is measured, and other factors like personality type and job can disrupt this relationship in certain cases (11, 12, 14). In the present study, results revealed that extraversion and openness were the most common personality traits among free-fall paratroopers, while neuroticism was the least common. Participants with higher neuroticism scores showed the highest trait anxiety, suggesting a significant connection between personality type and trait anxiety levels in free-fall parachutists (16).
The study found no significant correlation between jump height and levels of trait or state anxiety before or after the jump. Previous research has typically focused on the number of jumps rather than jump height (11). Among free-fall paratroopers, those with a high school diploma showed lower levels of state and trait anxiety post-jump. This may be attributed to beginning their careers earlier and gaining more experience, suggesting that both education and experience may impact anxiety levels.
