Personality and demographic variables related to individual responsiveness to diving stress.

Thirty U.S. Navy divers were tested for 4 personality and 2 demographic variables. They subsequently were exposed to the stress of being pressurized in a small diving chamber for several hours. Stress responsiveness to this condition was assessed using 3 physiologic and 4 subjective emotionality measures before and after the dive. These physiologic and emotionality measures were factor analyzed and correlated with personality and demographic variables. Difference scores among the physiologic and emotionality measures, indicating responsiveness to stress, correlated significantly with education, diving experience, internality-externality, disinhibition, and socialization. These data indicate that measures of achievement (i.e., diving experience and education), perceived control, sensation seeking, and social adjustment are useful in accounting for individual differences in acute emotional and physiologic responsiveness to stressful diving conditions.