ReviewCureus2025
Barriers and Facilitators to Mental Health Support Among Airline Pilots: A Narrative Review.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Integrating Space Sexology Into Long-Duration Mission Architecture: A Five-Pillar Operational Framework.Cureus · 2026Review
- Pilots' and cabin crews' psychosocial work environment in relation to mental health and fitness-to-fly safety behaviors: latent profile analyses.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mental health challenges among commercial air transport (CAT) pilots represent a significant concern for both individual well-being and aviation safety. Understanding the factors that facilitate or hinder access to appropriate psychological support within this occupational group is essential for the development of targeted and effective interventions. This narrative review was therefore undertaken to appraise and synthesize existing evidence on the barriers and facilitators influencing mental health care utilization among CAT pilots. A literature search was conducted across major academic databases, regulatory archives, and aviation-specific sources for English-language studies published between 2010 and 2025 that addressed barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking within the CAT pilot population. Eligible studies were thematically analyzed to identify key determinants of mental health support, with particular attention to help-seeking behaviors, organizational structures, and regulatory frameworks. The synthesis identified several primary barriers, including: (1) a prevailing culture of silence and stigma; (2) fears related to job security and medical certification; (3) limited trust in confidentiality; (4) regulatory and procedural constraints; and (5) organizational and logistical barriers. Conversely, key facilitators of mental health support comprised: (1) structured peer-support programs; (2) non-punitive disclosure and reporting policies; (3) comprehensive mental health education and initiatives to shift organizational culture; (4) accessible, independent, and confidential mental health care services; and (5) socioeconomic protections to mitigate perceived risks of disclosure. In summary, addressing mental health challenges among CAT pilots necessitates coordinated action across cultural, organizational, and regulatory domains. The implementation of confidential, non-punitive support mechanisms, in which occupational medicine plays a central role in prevention, early detection, and care coordination, combined with meaningful regulatory reform and sustained cultural change, holds the potential to significantly improve pilot well-being while strengthening overall aviation safety.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.