State anxiety change after a parachute jump and its determinants: gender, experience, and temperament features

Study aim: To determine the role of gender and experience level as factors differentiating state anxiety before and after a parachute jump, and to ascertain relationships between state anxiety and temperament features.

Material and methods: The research involved 143 parachutists (98 men and 45 women) aged from 17 to 49 years old, including 73 beginners and 70 advanced parachutists. The following questionnaires were applied: the Formal Characteristics of Behavior-Temperament Inventory by Zawadzki and Strelau, the Sensation Seeking Scale by Zuckerman, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory of Spielberger et al.

Results: There was a significant decrease in state anxiety level after a parachute jump (before M = 32.66; after M = 28.57; p < 0.001). Its level is significantly higher in beginners than in experienced skydivers (p < 0.001). The level of experience is also a negative predictor of state anxiety level before the jump and its decrease after the jump.

Conclusion: As experience grows, the positive adaptation to stress caused by parachute jump appears, which results with lowering the state anxiety level.