The record from human exploration and research in Antarctica has established that prolonged exposure to the extreme and isolated environment is a stressful experience, and in certain circumstances has profound implications for health and performance of personnel in Antarctica. There is some evidence which suggests that while winter-over personnel have short-term adjustment problems, they have a long-term decreased risk of diseases and illnesses triggered by stress. The objective of this study is to identify and describe the sources of enduring adaptive response to prolonged social isolation and an extreme physical environment. The research team will utilize an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating both anthropological and psychological methods, for qualitative and quantitative assessment of short-term and long-term consequences of the antarctic winter-over experience. An ethnographic study will examine the microculture of the antarctic research station at McMurdo Sound, the processes of social interaction and extent of social support in coping with stress, and the means of adjustment to the "winter-over syndrome". Epidemiologic methods will assess baseline profiles of health, stress, and coping to prospectively examine the effect of prolonged isolation on the effectiveness of these coping strategies and resources in reducing subsequent stress- related illness. This study will contribute to the understanding of isolated microsocieties and interactions between health, environment and personality.
