Anxiety, manual dexterity and diver performance

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The open-sea performance of divers at depth may be substantially lower than would be predicted from dry pressure-chamber simulation studies. This has been attributed to the effects of anxiety. This hypothesis was explored using a land-based study in which the manual dexterity of 32 novice divers was tested using a screwplate test on two occasions, immediately before a potentially stressful open-sea dive, and at a time when diving was not imminent. Both pulse rate and subjective ratings suggested that the pre-dive condition was associated with anxiety. Speed of completing the screwplate test deteriorated by approximately 6%, a significant but not large impairment. Implications for the anxiety hypothesis of open-sea decrement are discussed.