Risk propensity in cadets of aviation and medical specialties: retrospective study

INTRODUCTION. The attitude towards risk is changing in the modern conditions of the world. Propensity to take risk is not only a negative factor in professional activities. Professions, in which a person puts their health and life at risk, refer to extreme activities, where propensity to take risk is a forced necessity to save the life and health of other people. In the military field risk propensity is an important professional quality, which plays a key role in carrying out professional activities. However, the expression of this quality needs to be different in various fields of military labor.

OBJECTIVE. Study the risk level in aviation specialists and doctors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study involved 279 cadets (151 аaviation specialists and 128 doctors), surveyed, using the questionnaire “Risk propensity study” by А. G. Shmelev. Statistics. Statistical processing of the received data was conducted by program Statistica 10,0, using the Mann-Whitney, Shapiro–Wilk test, descriptive statistics.

RESULTS. It was found that the level of risk propensity in aviation specialists differs statistically significantly (при p < 0,001) from doctors’ level. This fact could be due to different specifics of servicemen’ work as different professions require different professionally important qualities.

DISCUSSION. Analysis of the data has revealed that risk propensity is more common for aviation specialists than doctors: the differences are more prominent in clusters, related to a game, gambling, the maintenance of social status, shopping, attitude towards thrill and boredom.

CONCLUSION. The level of risk propensity among aviation specialists differs significantly from doctors‘ level. This fact could be due to different specifics of servicemen’ work as different professions require different professionally important qualities.

marine medicine, risk propensity, safety, decision-making, cadets, professionally important qualities, aviation specialists, doctors

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