Mood and Sleep Status and Mental Disorders During Prolonged Winter-Over Residence in Two Korean Antarctic Stations

• Main Authors: Kang JM, Cho SJ, Cho SE, Bang T, Chae BD, Yi E, Bae SM, Na KS, Jung J, Kang SG
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2022
• Subjects: antarctic; depression; insomnia; mental illness; sleep; winter-over; Psychiatry; RC435-571; Neurophysiology and neuropsychology; QP351-495; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Beck; Antarc*; Antarctica; Korea Polar Research Institute
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/2b1c946c81d64c97944f17fdfccc5b9e

Jae Myeong Kang,1,* Seong-Jin Cho,1,* Seo-Eun Cho,1 Taemo Bang,2 Byung Do Chae,3 Eojin Yi,4 Seung Min Bae,1 Kyoung-Sae Na,1 Jaehun Jung,5 Seung-Gul Kang1 1Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea; 2Artificial Intelligence and Big-Data Convergence Center, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea; 3Unit of Frontier Exploration, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea; 4Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 5Department of Preventive Medicine, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Seung-Gul Kang, Department of Psychiatry, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University, College of Medicine, 21, Namdong-daero 774 beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, 21565, Republic of Korea, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [e-mail]: Antarctica is a region with extreme climate, characterized by extreme cold and photoperiod. No research has been conducted on the mental health of Korean Antarctic dispatchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of mental illness and changes in mood and sleep among Korean crew members staying for a long-term period in the Antarctic station.Methods: From 2017 to 2020, crew members who were dispatched from South Korea to two Antarctic stations for a one-year period participated in this study. The crew were evaluated for mood and sleep status and mental illness through psychological tests and interviews by board-certified psychiatrists once before departure and twice during their stay in Antarctica. The incidence of mental illness was confirmed and changes in sleep and depression were analyzed.Results: A total of 88 participants were included in the final analysis, and 7 of them (8.0%) were diagnosed with mental disorders such as insomnia in early winter. The total Beck ...