Adaptation and coping strategies in Chinese Antarctic Expeditioners’ winter-over life

Abstract

The harsh natural and social environments in Antarctica challenge the limit of physical and psychological adaptation.Psychological research on Antarctic expeditioners’ winter-over life can enhance our understanding of how humans adapt toisolated, confined and extreme environments. In this qualitative study, nine people who worked at either the Great Wall station orZhongshan Station were interviewed. Most of the problems related to adaptation in Antarctica could be summarized andcategorized into four types: physical, emotional, interpersonal and task-related. Two main sets of factors which impact quality ofwork and life in Antarctica were identified. The first set refers to internal factors comprising personality, attitude, age andprevious experience. The second set is external factors including natural environments as well as conditions of stations and keypersons, especially the chef and station master. A theoretical framework of coping strategies including organizational andindividual aspects was developed. Among the seven ways of coping, energy transferring such as taking part in sportsentertainment or learning played the most important role. The results not only provide a strong theoretical base for futureresearch of polar psychology, but also provide an empirical base for more applications on Antarctic expeditions, flight and spacemissions.