Effects of fallout shelter confinement on family adjustment.

Abstract

Introduction Man constantly thrusts himself into new and strange environments, the unusual nature of which often makes special demands on his resources. For example, in recent years humans have been called upon to function for prolonged periods at a high level of proficiency in submerged nuclear submarines, or more recently, in a capsule in space. Such special environments have in common the imposition of a monotonous daily routine, restriction of physical movement, disruption of normal social interaction and stimulation, and introduction of unusual routines of sleep, feeding, etc. A series of experiments beginning with the work of Hebb and his associates, Bexton, Heron, and Scott, 1 and summarized recently by Solomon et al., 7 have demonstrated that sharp restriction of meaningful sensory input and imposition of a monotonous, patternless routine can be a disrupting experience for some individuals. These experiments, generally summarized under the term