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.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.