Date of Conferral

12-9-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)

School

Management

Advisor

Betsy Macht

Abstract

Airline cabin crew members face significant occupational stress, which adversely affects their psychological well-being and flight safety performance. Airline managers are concerned with identifying stress reduction strategies to support crew effectiveness and mitigate safety risks. Grounded in the job demands-resources theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore effective strategies that top airline managers in the United States use to reduce occupational stress among cabin crew members for improved flight safety. The participants were six top airline managers in the United States with at least 5 years of experience in senior management and had implemented successful strategies that reduced occupational stress among airline crew members. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) promoting mental wellness and personal resilience, (b) strengthening organizational infrastructure and feedback systems, and (c) work-life balance. A key recommendation is for airline managers to implement a comprehensive mental health infrastructure by providing regular mental health check-ins with qualified professionals, establishing employee assistance programs, and creating crisis interventions. Implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce workplace mental health stigma, strengthen family and community well-being through improved work-life harmony, and create organizational models that promote human dignity and psychological safety across industries, leading to enhanced societal approaches to workplace mental health and employee support systems.

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