Social, Occupational, and Cultural Adaptation During a 12-Month Wintering in Antarctica.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Life in isolated and confined environments (ICEs) is subject to important constraints which can generate psychosociologically impaired outcomes. This study investigated psychological, social, occupational, and cultural variables which are among the most important determinants in adaptation to a one-year wintering in Antarctica for 13 international subjects. RESULTS: Our findings confirm and give further insight into the role of social (Cohesiveness, Social Support) and occupational (Implementation/Preparedness, Counterproductive Activity, Decision Latitude, and Psychological Job Demands) dimensions of adaptation to ICEs. Relationships between various social and occupational dimensions studies reflected detrimental effects ranging from decrements in cohesiveness (ICE 1, M = 4.44; ICE 7, M = 3.33), social support (ICE 2, M = 4.93; ICE 7, M = 4.28), and work performance (ICE 1, M = 4.33; ICE 6, M = 3.5), which differed across professional status and multicultural factors. DISCUSSION: These psychosocial issues have important implications for pre-mission selection and training, monitoring and support of crews during the mission, and post-mission readaptation. Operational recommendations are suggested to improve adaptation, success, and well-being for long-duration ICE missions, e.g., to Mars and beyond. Nicolas M, Bishop SL, Weiss K, Gaudino M. Social, occupational, and cultural adaptation during a 12-month wintering in Antarctica. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2016; 87(9):781-789.

Coping Strategies of Neurology Nurses Experiencing Abuse From Patients and Families.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to assess incidence of verbal and physical abuse of neurology nurses, identify their coping strategies, and explore relationships between demographic characteristics, incidence, and coping strategies. BACKGROUND: A 2011 U.S. Department of Justice survey found that average annual rates of nonfatal violent crime against nurses were greater than all occupations and identified nurses as having the highest percentage of workplace violence. METHODS: A descriptive, exploratory research design utilizing an online survey of 112 neurology nurses in the United States was used for this study. RESULTS: Results identified the presence of verbal and physical abuse against neurology nurses, avoidance coping strategies utilized, and gender differences on types of violence and effects of abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Administrative attention must address abuse of neurology nurses by patients and families and develop nursing practice that eliminates the use of avoidance as a way of dealing with this abuse.

We stop for no storm: coping with an environmental disaster and public health research.

Coping with natural disasters is part of the public nurses' role, and the public health nursing (PHN) researcher is doubly challenged with continuing to conduct community-based research in the midst of the disaster. The PHN may provide service along with attempting to continue the research. The challenges faced by public/community health nurse researchers as a result of hurricane Ike are discussed to provide lessons for other public/community health researchers who may be affected by natural disasters in the future. It is important to consider challenges for recruitment and retention of research subjects after a disaster, impact of natural disasters on ongoing research, and opportunities for research to be found in coping with natural disasters. A community-based study that was in progress at the time of hurricane Ike will be used as an example for coping with a natural disaster. We will present "lessons learned" in the hope of helping researchers consider what can go wrong with research studies in the midst of natural disasters and how to proactively plan for keeping research reliable and valid when natural disasters occur. We will also discuss the opportunities for collaborations between researchers and the community following any disaster.

My Disaster Recovery: a pilot randomized controlled trial of an Internet intervention.

This pilot study tested the efficacy of the My Disaster Recovery (MDR) website to decrease negative affect and increase coping self-efficacy. Fifty-six survivors of Hurricane Ike were recruited from a larger study being conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at the first anniversary of the storm. Restricted randomization was used to assign participants to the MDR website, an information-only website, or a usual care condition. Group×time interactions indicated that MDR reduced participant worry more than the other conditions. A similar trend was also identified for depression. Both websites were accessed a small to moderate amount and participants reported mixed satisfaction for both websites. Although the effect sizes for worry and depression were in the moderate to large range, small sample size and timing of the intervention qualify the findings. These preliminary findings encourage further evaluation of MDR with a larger, demographically diverse sample and indicate that the MDR website might be helpful in reducing worry and depression.

Ventilatory responses to hypoxia and high altitude during sleep in Aconcagua climbers.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: We examined the changes in ventilation during sleep at high altitude using the LifeShirt monitoring system on 2 climbers who were attempting to summit Mount Aconcagua (6956 m). METHODS: Prior to the summit attempt, we measured cardiovascular and pulmonary function at 401 m (Rochester, MN) and gathered respiratory and cardiovascular data during sleep using the LifeShirt monitoring system with exposure to normobaric normoxia and normobaric hypoxia (simulated 4300 m). We then monitored the ventilatory response during sleep at 3 altitudes (4100 m, 4900 m, and 5900 m). RESULTS: During normoxic sleep, subjects had normal oxygen saturation (O(2sat)), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (V(T)) and minute ventilation (V(E)), and exhibited no periodic breathing (O(2sat) = 100 +/- 2%, HR = 67 +/- 1 beats/min, RR = 16 +/- 3 breaths/min, V(T) = 516 +/- 49 mL, and V(E) = 9 +/- 1 L/min, mean +/- SD). Sleep during simulated 4300 m caused a reduction in O(2sat), an increase in HR, RR, V(T), and V(E), and induced periodic breathing in both climbers (O(2sat) = 79 +/- 4%, HR = 72 +/- 14 beats/min, RR = 20 +/- 3 breaths/min, V(T) = 701 +/- 180 mL, and V(E) = 14 +/- 3 L/min). All 3 levels of altitude had profound effects on O(2sat), HR, and the ventilatory strategy during sleep (O(2sat) = 79 +/- 2, 70 +/- 8, 60 +/- 2%; HR = 70 +/- 12, 76 +/- 6, 80 +/- 3 beats/min; RR = 17 +/- 6, 18 +/- 4, 20 +/- 6 breaths/min; V(T) = 763 +/- 300, 771 +/- 152, 1145 +/- 123 mL; and V(E) = 13 +/- 1, 14 +/- 0, 22 +/- 4 L/min; for 4100 m, 4900 m, and 5900 m, respectively). There were strong negative correlations between O(2sat) and V(E) and ventilatory drive (V(T)/T(i), where T(i) is the inspiratory time) throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: Interestingly, the changes in ventilatory response during simulated altitude and at comparable altitude on Aconcagua during the summit attempt were similar, suggesting reductions in FiO(2), rather than in pressure, alter this response.

Evaluating teams in extreme environments: from issues to answers.

The challenge to effectively evaluating teams in extreme environments necessarily involves a wide range of physiological, psychological, and psychosocial factors. The high reliance on technology, the growing frequency of multinational and multicultural teams, and the demand for longer duration missions all further compound the complexity of the problem. The primary goal is the insurance of human health and well-being with expectations that such priorities will naturally lead to improved chances for performance and mission success. This paper provides an overview of some of the most salient immediate challenges for selecting, training, and supporting teams in extreme environments, gives exemplars of research findings concerning these challenges, and discusses the need for future research.