Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T18:36:58.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Time-dependent mood fluctuations in Antarctic personnel: a meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2017

Clare Hawkes  and
Kimberley Norris Open the ORCID record for Kimberley Norris [Opens in a new window]
Clare Hawkes
Affiliation:
School of Medicine (Psychology), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia ([email protected])
Kimberley Norris
Affiliation:
School of Medicine (Psychology), University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The third-quarter phenomenon is the dominant theoretical model to explain the psychological impacts of deployment in Antarctica on personnel. It posits that detrimental symptoms to functioning, such as negative mood, increase gradually throughout deployment and peak at the third-quarter point, regardless of overall deployment length. However, there is equivocal support for the model. The current meta-analysis included data from 21 studies (involving 1,826 participants) measuring negative mood during deployment to elucidate this discrepancy. Across studies analyses were conducted on three data types: stratified by month using repeated-measured all time points meta-analytic techniques and pre/post-deployment data for summer/winter deployment seasons. Our results did not support the proposed parameters of the third-quarter phenomenon, as negative mood did not peak at the third-quarter point (August/September) of deployment. Overall effect sizes indicated that negative mood was greater at baseline than the end of deployment for summer and winter deployment seasons. These findings have theoretical and practical implications and should be used to guide future research, assisting in the development and modification of pre-existing prevention and intervention programmes to improve well-being and functioning of personnel during Antarctic deployment.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 53 , Issue 5 , September 2017 , pp. 534 - 549
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

AAD. (2015a). Geography. Kingston, TAS: Australian Antarctic Division. Retrieved from http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/geography.Google Scholar
AAD. (2015b). Weather. Kingston, TAS: Australian Antarctic Division. Retrieved from http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/weather/sunlight-hours.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Meteorology. (2016). Antarctic and southern ocean weather. Melbourne, VIC: Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved from http://www.bom.gov.au/ant/?ref=hdr.Google Scholar
Barbarito, M., Baldanza, S., & Peri, A. (2001). Evolution of the coping strategies in an isolated group in an Antarctic base. Polar Record, 37, 111–120.Google Scholar
Bechel, R. V., & Berning, A. (1991). The third-quarter phenomenon: do people experience discomfort after stress has passed? In: Harrison, A., Clearwater, Y. A., & McKay, C. P. (Eds.). From Antarctica to Outer Space: life in isolation and confinement (pp. 261–266). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Bhargava, R., Mukerji, S., & Sachdeva, U. (2000). Psychological impact of the Antarctic winter on Indian expeditioners. Environment and Behavior, 32, 111–127.Google Scholar
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Effect sizes based on means. In: Borenstein, M. (Ed.). Introduction to meta-analysis (pp. 21–32). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J., & Rothstein, H. R. (2010). A basic introduction to fixed-effect and random-effects models for meta-analysis. Research Synthesis Methods, 1, 97–111.Google Scholar
Burke, C. S., & Feitosa, J. (2015). Team culture issues for long-duration exploration missions (NASA/TM-2015-218587). Houston, TX: Johnson Space Center. Retrieved from: https://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/trs/_techrep/TM-2015-218587.pdf.Google Scholar
Button, K. S., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Mokrysz, C., Nosek, B. A., Flint, J., Robinson, E. S. J., & Munafò, M. R. (2013). Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14, 365–376 Google Scholar
Chen, N., Wu, Q., Li, H., Zhang, T., & Xu, C. (2016). Different adaptations of Chinese winter-over expeditioners during prolonged Antarctic and sub-Antarctic residence. International Journal of Biometeorology, 60, 737–747.Google Scholar
Connors, M. M., Harrison, A. A., & Akins, F. R. (1985). Living aloft: human requirements for extended spaceflight. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.Google Scholar
Cravalho, M. (1996). Toast on ice: the ethnopsychology of the winter-over experience in Antarctica. American Anthropological Association, 24, 628–656.Google Scholar
Del Re, A. C., Maisel, N., Blodgett, J., Wilbourne, P., & Finney, J. (2013). Placebo group improvement in trials of pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorders: A multivariate meta-analysis examining change over time. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 33, 649.Google Scholar
Duval, S., & Tweedie, R. (2000). A nonparametric “trim and fill” method of accounting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 95, 89–98.Google Scholar
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218.Google Scholar
Greco, T., Zangrillo, A., Biondi-Zoccai, G., & Landoni, G. (2013). Meta-analysis: pitfalls and hints. Heart Lung Vessel, 5, 219–225.Google Scholar
Harris, A., Marquis, P., Eriksen, H. R., Grant, I., Corbett, R., Lie, S. A., & Ursin, H. (2010). Diurnal rhythm in British Antarctic personnel. Rural Remote Health, 10, 1351.Google Scholar
Ikegawa, M., Kimura, M., Makita, K., & Itokawa, Y. (1998). Psychological studies of a Japanese winter-over group at Asuka Station, Antarctica. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, 69, 452–460.Google Scholar
Johnson, J. C., Boster, J. S., & Palinkas, L. A. (2003). Social roles and the evolution of networks in extreme and isolated environments. Journal of Mathematical Sociology, 27, 89–121.Google Scholar
Kanas, N. A., & Fedderson, W. E. (1971). Behavioral, psychiatric, and sociological problems of long-duration space missions (NASA-TM-X-58067). Retrieved from National Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19720008366 Google Scholar
Khandelwal, S., Bhatia, A., & Mishra, A. K. (2015). Psychological health in the summer team of an Indian expedition to Antarctica. Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour, 20, 65.Google Scholar
Lilburne, L. (2005). Shrinks on ice: a review of psychosocial research in Antarctica (Graduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies). Christchurch: University of Canterbury. Retrieved from http://www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz/documents/GCAS_7/Lilburne_L_Lit.Review.pdf.Google Scholar
Lipsey, M. W., & Wilson, D. B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis (Vol. 49). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
McCormick, I. A., Taylor, A. J. W., Rivolier, J., & Cazes, G. (1985). A psychometric study of stress and coping during the International Biomedical Expedition to the Antarctic (IBEA). Journal of Human Stress, 11, 150–156.Google Scholar
McDaniel, M. A. (2009). Cumulative meta-analysis as a publication bias method. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA.Google Scholar
Mocellin, J. S., Suedfeld, P., Bernadelz, J. P., & Barbarito, M. E. (2000). Levels of Anxiety in Polar Environments. Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments, 5 (1), 29–34. doi: 10.7771/2327-2937.1004 Google Scholar
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., & Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151, 264–269.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (2013). Applied social research: a tool for the human services. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.Google Scholar
Morris, S. B. (2007). Methods of meta-analysis: correcting error and bias in research findings. In: Hunter, J. E., & Schmidt, F. L. (Eds.). Organizational research methods (pp. 483–512).Google Scholar
Nicolas, M., Suedfeld, P., Weiss, K., & Gaudino, M. (2016). Affective, social, and cognitive outcomes during a 1-year wintering in Concordia. Environment and Behavior, 48, 1073–1091.Google Scholar
Norris, K. A. (2010). Breaking the ice: developing a model of expeditioner and partner adaptation to Antarctic employment (unpublished doctoral dissertation). Hobart, TAS: University of Tasmania.Google Scholar
Norris, K. A., Paton, D., & Ayton, J. (2010). Future directions in Antarctic psychology research. Antarctic Science, 22, 335–342.Google Scholar
Oliver, D. C. (1991). Psychological effects of isolation and confinement of a winter-over group at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. In: Harrison, A. A., Clearwater, Y. A., & McKay, C. P. (Eds.). From Antarctica to Outer Space: life in isolation and confinement (pp. 217–227). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L.A. (1991). Effects of physical and social environments on the health and well-being of Antarctic winter-over personnel. Environment and Behavior, 23, 782–799.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., & Browner, D. (1995). Effects of prolonged isolation in extreme environments on stress, coping, and depression. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 557–576.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., Gunderson, E. K., Johnson, J. C., & Holland, A. W. (1999). Behavior and performance on long-duration spaceflights: evidence from analogue environments. Retrieved from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000068515.pdf.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., & Houseal, M. (2000). Stages of change in mood and behavior during a winter in Antarctica. Environment and Behavior, 32, 128–141.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., Houseal, M., & Rosenthal, N. E. (1996). Subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder in Antarctica. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 184, 530–534.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., Johnson, J. C., Boster, J. S., Rakusa-Suszczewski, S., Klopov, V. P., Fu, X. Q., & Sachdeva, U. (2004). Cross-cultural differences in psychosocial adaptation to isolated and confined environments. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 75, 973–980.Google Scholar
Palinkas, L. A., & Suedfeld, P. (2008). Psychological effects of polar expeditions. Lancet, 371, 153–163.Google Scholar
Peri, A., Scarlata, C., & Barbarito, M. (2000). Preliminary studies on the psychological adjustment in the Italian Antarctic summer campaigns. Environment and Behavior, 32, 72–83.Google Scholar
Peters, J. L., & Mengersen, K. L. (2008). Meta-analysis of repeated measures study designs. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 14, 941–950.Google Scholar
Rogelberg, S. G. (2008). Handbook of research methods in industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 5). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (2014). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings. London, England: Sage publications.Google Scholar
Sharpe, D. (1997). Of apples and oranges, file drawers and garbage: why validity issues in meta-analysis will not go away. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 881–901.Google Scholar
Shea, C., Slack, K. J., Keeton, K. E., Palinkas, L. A., & Leveton, L. B. (2011). Antarctica meta-analysis: psychosocial factors related to long-duration isolation and confinement. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved from http://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/TRS/.Google Scholar
Steel, G. D. (2001). Polar moods: third-quarter phenomena in the Antarctic. Environment and Behaviour, 33, 126–133.Google Scholar
Stuster, J. (1997). Human adjustment to isolation and confinement. Paper presented at the 27th International Conference on Environmental Systems, Lake Tahoe, NV. Retrieved from http://papers.sae.org/972399/.Google Scholar
Stuster, J., Bachelard, C., & Suedfeld, P. (2000). The relative importance of behavioral issues during long-duration ICE missions. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 71, 17–25.Google Scholar
Suedfeld, P., & Steel, G. D. (2000). The environmental psychology of capsule habitats. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 227–253.Google Scholar
Ursin, H., Bergan, T., Collet, J., Endresen, I. M., Lugg, D. J., Maki, P., . . . Pettersen, R. (1991). Psychobiological studies of individuals in small, isolated groups in the Antarctic and in space analogues. Environment and Behavior, 23, 766–781.Google Scholar
Weiss, K., & Gaud, R. (2004). Formation and transformation of relational networks during an Antarctic winter-over. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 1563–1586.Google Scholar
Weiss, K., Suedfeld, P., Steel, G. D., & Tanaka, M. (2000). Psychological adjustment during three Japanese Antarctic research expeditions. Environment and Behavior, 32, 142–156.Google Scholar
Wilson, D. (2011). The third-quarter phenomenon in Antarctic personnel: literature review (masters dissertation). Christchurch: University of Canterbury. Retrieved from http://www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz/documents/PCAS_13/PCAS_13_Wilson_D_Literature_The_Third_Quarter_Phenomenon.pdf.Google Scholar
Wood, J., Hysong, S. J., Lugg, D. J., & Harm, D. L. (2000). Is it really so bad? A comparison of positive and negative experiences in Antarctic winter stations. Environment and Behavior, 32, 84–110.Google Scholar
Xu, C., Zhu, G., Xue, Q., Zhang, S., Du, G., Xi, Y., & Palinkas, L. A. (2003). Effect of the Antarctic environment on hormone levels and mood of Chinese expeditioners. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 63, 255–267.Google Scholar
Young, I., Waddell, L., Harding, S., Greig, J., Mascarenhas, M., Sivaramalingam, B., . . . Papadopoulos, A. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of food safety education interventions for consumers in developed countries. BMC Public Health, 15, 1–14.Google Scholar
Zimmer, M., Cabral, J. C. C. R., Borges, F. C., Côco, K. G., & Hameister, B. R. (2013). Psychological changes arising from an Antarctic stay: systematic overview. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), 30, 415–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Hawkes and Norris supplementary material 1

Hawkes and Norris supplementary material

Download Hawkes and Norris supplementary material 1(PDF)
PDF 1.4 MB