Background and Objective: The increasing automation, information load, and complexity of human-machine interaction in future military aviation have heightened the importance of cognitive readiness and executive functions among pilots. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on pilots’ executive functions and explore its implications for cognitive readiness in military aviation.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of pilots from Shahid Satari Air University in 2024, from which 30 participants were selected using via random sampling assigned to either the experimental or control group (15 participants each).
The experimental group received eight 60-minute sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction training. Executive functions were assessed using the working memory test, Stroop test, Go/No-Go test, reaction time test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Data were analyzed using chi-square, independent t-tests, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS.
Findings: Compared to the control group, mindfulness-based stress reduction training led to significant improvements in working memory, attention, response inhibition, reaction time, and cognitive flexibility.
Conclusion: Mindfulness-based stress reduction can improve certain components of executive functions in pilots in the short term and may be considered as a complementary intervention to enhance cognitive readiness. However, generalizing these findings to combat readiness and real operational performance requires longitudinal, field, and simulation-based studies