Psychophysiological Correlates of Human Adaptation in Antarctica

• Main Authors: Palinkas, L. A., Gunderson, E. K., Burr, R. G.
• Other Authors: NAVAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER SAN DIEGO CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Psychology; Stress Physiology; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; *HUMANS; *ADAPTATION; *PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY; ISOLATION; SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS; WINTER; PERSONNEL; MEAN; PERSONALITY; LATITUDE; ANXIETY; EMOTIONS; PREDICTIONS; ENVIRONMENTS; INSOMNIA; STATIONS; TEMPERATURE; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA216679; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA216679

Previous research has pointed to social, psychological, and occupational characteristics of Antarctic station personnel as contributing to variations in emotional symptoms commonly experienced during the prolonged isolation of the winter-over period. However, little is known of the influence of specific personality characteristics and the severity of the station environment, either independently or in combination, on these symptoms. This paper examines the social, psychological, and environmental correlates of the psychophysiological symptoms associated with wintering-over in Antarctica and the extent to which these correlates can be used to predict the severity of symptomatology during the winter-over period. Station latitude, altitude, mean annual temperature, were associated with depression and insomnia at the beginning of winter and depression, hostility, and anxiety at the end of the winter. Environmental severity was a independent predictor of hostility and anxiety at the end of winter. Except for insomnia, however, the more severe the environment, the less severe the symptoms. Age was inversely associated with depression and anxiety at the beginning of winter and hostility throughout the winter. Results indicate some form of adaptation to environmental conditions appears to be taking place with respect to psychophysiological symptoms. This adaptation, in turn, appears to be related to social characteristics of station personnel and the possession of certain social personality needs or traits which are satisfied by existing social and environmental conditions and the relative absence of needs or traits which the environment cannot satisfy.