VALIDATION OF MOOD STATE SCALES FOR MILITARY PILOTS: PERSPECTIVES FOR APPLICATION IN OPERATIONAL FLIGHTS

Abstract

This study evaluated evidence of construct validity for the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) in military pilots of the Brazilian Air Force. A cross-sectional design was conducted with 595 active-duty military pilots of both sexes, representing different flight types and operational specialties. Participants completed the Brazilian version of the BRUMS, which consists of 24 items distributed across six dimensions: tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion. The internal structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis with DWLS estimation, which is appropriate for ordinal and non-normally distributed data. Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, composite reliability, and average variance extracted (AVE) were also calculated. Scores were further submitted to k-means cluster analysis to identify mood profiles, and comparisons between groups were performed using nonparametric tests. The results confirmed the six correlated-factor model, with excellent fit: χ²(237) = 255.02; p = 0.201; CFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.99; RMSEA ≈ 0.04; SRMR = 0.04. Standardized factor loadings were satisfactory, except for the item alert, which showed reduced magnitude in the vigor factor. Reliability coefficients were adequate across all dimensions, and AVE values supported convergent validity. No statistically significant differences were observed between sexes. The k-means analysis identified six distinct mood state profiles: Iceberg, Surface, Inverse Everest, Shark Fin, Inverse Iceberg, and Submerged. It was concluded that the BRUMS provides robust evidence of structural validity, reliability, and applied utility for operational psychological monitoring in Brazilian military pilots.