Psychoeducation to Improve Emotional Stabilization Skills for Beginner Parachutists in the Indonesian Navy Women's Skydive Community

Abstract

The community of skydiver Indonesian woman navy has been active again since 2023 and consist of 29 members (27 novice and 2 senior members). Based on interviews with trainer and senior members, data shows that there are three psychological problems that hinder the readiness of first-time jumpers for skydiver Indonesian woman navy community. First, anxiety marked by symptoms of nervousness, lack of attention, and restlessness during simulations due to uncertainty about the first experience, fear of failure, and social pressure. Second, a lack of self-confidence, hesitation to take initiative, comparing oneself with more skilled peers, and doubting personal competence, which reduces technical performance. Third, emotional tension marked by symptoms of nausea, fear, difficulty sleeping, and the difficulty of managing negative emotions potentially triggering technical mistakes during jumps. Therefore, psychological assistance needs to be provided for 27 novice parachutists in Indonesian navy woman skydive community to enhance their ability to manage emotions and stress positively, especially during their first jump. Before the intervention, data was collected from novice parachutists using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-X2, Indonesian version) to assess the level of anxiety in facing their first jump. The approach used to improve emotional stabilization skills was through interventions in the form of psychoeducation activities and relaxation exercises for 27 novice parachutists. The results showed an increase in knowledge regarding emotional stabilization, and participants understood that stress did not always have negative connotation. Additionally, all participants successfully performed independent jumps smoothly and without injury.