PMID: 9451538Feb 6, 1998Paper

Longitudinal studies of behavior and performance during a winter at the South Pole

Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
L A PalinkasM Houseal

Abstract

Evidence of a specific pattern of performance decrement in isolated and confined (ICE) environments has not been consistently demonstrated in previous research. Decrements in performance in ICE environments: a) occur in a linear, dose-response manner; b) occur in stages; or c) do not occur at all. There were 83 members of the United States Antarctic Program who spent an austral winter at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (90 degrees S) between 1991 and 1994 and completed the Profile of Moods States (POMS) once a month for an 8-mo period from March through October. Over the entire 8-mo period, there was a decline in depression (p = 0.007) and vigor (p < 0.0001), and an increase in fatigue (p = 0.059) and tension-anxiety (p = 0.075). Of these four measures, only vigor exhibits a linear pattern. Mean scores for tension-anxiety and fatigue were lower during the first half of the winter than the second half (p = 0.074 and 0.077, respectively). In comparisons between each quarter and the remaining three quarters, averaged mean tension-anxiety scores and fatigue scores were lower during the second quarter (p = 0.009 and 0.03, respectively), and higher during the fourth quarter (p = 0.025 and 0.035, respectively) than during the pr...Continue Reading

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