Strategies and Mechanisms for Enhancing Pilot Safety Attitudes: The Multiple Roles of Psychological Resilience and Cognitive Flexibility

Effective measures to enhance pilot safety attitudes are crucial in preventing accidents. This study identifies psychological resilience and cognitive flexibility as two factors potentially related to improving safety attitudes among pilots. Through path analysis of questionnaire data from 106 Chinese civil aviation pilots, this study systematically examines the relationship between these factors and safety attitudes for the first time. Results indicate significant positive correlations among variables. Moreover, cognitive flexibility not only serves as a mediator between psychological resilience and safety attitudes (explaining 39.811%) but also exhibits a moderating effect (t = –2.368, p < 0.05). This suggests that cognitive flexibility partially mediates the influence of psychological resilience on safety attitudes, with significant differences across individuals with varying levels of cognitive flexibility. This study offers valuable insights for designing interventions in aviation safety management, emphasizing targeted designs based on different levels of cognitive flexibility, and provides a new perspective on the psychological foundation of pilot safety attitudes.