THE RISKS OF PANIC IN SCUBA DIVING V

9/16/2008 by Capt. Darrick Lorenzen | 0 Comments | 226 Views

Can we predict whether someone will experience panic while scuba diving?

Dr. Morgan: Yes. The psychological variable known as "trait anxiety" is regarded as a stable or enduring feature of personality, whereas "state anxiety" is situational or transitory. Individuals who score high on "trait anxiety" are more likely to have increased "state anxiety" and therefore panic during scuba activities.

Should some people be discouraged from scuba diving?

Dr. Morgan: Yes. It is clear that individuals who score high measures of "trait anxiety" are potentially at a greater risk than those scoring in the normal range on this psychological variable. Of course, individuals with certain medical problems probably also shouldn't dive.