Coping in Antarctica: is it possible to generalize results across settings?

BACKGROUND

To gain knowledge about psychological issues in space, data have been collected from groups in isolated and confined settings on Earth. This study examines the possibility of generalizing psychological findings across such environments.

HYPOTHESIS

Psychological reactions among personnel in different Antarctic environments show similar time patterns. Antarctic personnel differ in personality from submariners to crews confined in hyperbaric chambers to military recruits.

METHOD

Psychological reactions were evaluated by the Revised Antarctic Questionnaire. The Personality Characteristic Inventory was used to measure personality.

RESULTS

Personnel stationed on a ship (n = 19) showed high coping during the whole mission, whereas personnel on land bases (n = 18) showed a marked decline around the third quarter. Reduced coping in the land-based groups was associated with stress from interpersonal relationships. Compared with submariners (n = 54) and hyperbaric chamber crews (n = 20), Antarctic personnel scored lower on competitiveness and higher on achievement striving.

CONCLUSIONS

Similarities in physical, individual and group characteristics should be considered before extrapolating psychological findings across settings.