Psychological Well-being in Long-term Space Mission
Though the physiological dangers of a long-term space mission are always going to pose an immediate threat to the health of an astronaut, research and technology can help prevent or reduce the magnitude of their effects. Radiation and microgravity are two such examples of these physical dangers. A much more difficult problem to address is the psychological trauma that results from high level of stress, from dealing with relevant dangers of space to executing tasks with efficiency, and from the general deprivation of space, social contact, and recreation.
A study of in-flight medical events for space shuttle flights between April, 1981 and January, 1988 determined that there were 318 cases of “nervous system and sensory organs” related issues, the second most common, at 17% of all in-flight medical events. There were 34 cases of “behavioral signs and symptoms” related issues, or 1.8% of all in-flight medical events (Slack et al., 2016).
Figure 1 is from a study of 545 journal entries recorded by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The bar graph shows that among comments regarding how astronauts felt about adjustment to life on the ISS, 58 and 76 entries were in the category of “low morale,” and “thoughts of home,” while in less numbers were “problems adjusting,” and “fatigue.” Also, the majority of these complaints were recorded in the second and third quarters of the mission, indicating that these issues are not just introductory problems, but lasting and developing ones (Stuster, 2010).
Figure 1: Bar graph showing the categorical distribution of journal entries by astronauts aboard the ISS regarding the mental adaption to working in the ISS, with number of journal entries on the x-axis and the categories on the y-axis. The entries are also divided by the quarter of the mission in which they were written.
Negative mood states might seem like temporary obstacles, but besides their direct interference with work and focus during a space mission, they might have prolonged effects. 60 male Marines participated in a study by filling Profile of Mood States, or POMS, before and after a 30-day, high-altitude flight training. The study found that the challenging and lengthy training session not only resulted in negative mood states of the Marines, but that most of the Marines’ POMS indicated negative and stressful mood states 90 days after the training session ended (Bardwell et al., 2005).
Figure 2 is from a source I have used previously in my writing assignments, but I believe these eight graphs do a fine job of illustrating the positive correlation between time in a mission and negative mental states. The figure comes from a study of 6 males in a 520-day Mars mission simulation, whose psychological evaluations were taken in the form of questionnaires throughout the simulation. Figure 2 shows how the majority of subjects had an increase in their levels of stress, depression, and exhaustion throughout the mission (Basner et al., 2014).
Figure 2: Six line-graphs, with each line representing a participant of the simulation, mission days on the x-axis, and psychological score on the y-axis. Each graph reflects one aspect of the questionnaire.
Stress and negative mood states may also interfere with proper sleeping routines, whose consequences not only worsen stress but deprive of focus and cognition. 21 astronauts in space missions aboard the ISS participated in a study on sleep deprivation. The study found that the crew-members had an average of 5.86 hours of sleep 11 days before the flight, 6.09 hours during the ISS mission, and 6.95 hours of sleep in the first week post-mission. These are alarming numbers for anyone who wishes to productively carry out a day’s worth of tasks, let alone an astronaut. Additionally, 12 out of 16 astronauts, or 75%, reported using sleep-promoting drugs. This study shows the effects of the training, work, and stress of a short-term space mission on sleep (Barger et al., 2014).
Works Cited
Bardwell, Wayne A., Wayne W. Ensign, Paul J. Mills. “Negative mood endures after completion of high-altitude military training.” Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 29, no. 1 (February, 2005) [Cited 20 November 2016].
Barger, Laura K., Erin E. Flynn-Evans, Alan Kubey, et al. “Prevalence of sleep deficiency and use of hypnotic drugs in astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight: an observational study.” The Lancet. 13, no. 9 (August, 2014) [Cited 20 November 2016].
Basner, Mathias, David F. Dinges, Daniel J. Mollicone, et al. “Psychological and Behavioral Changes during Confinement in a 520-Day Simulated Interplanetary Mission to Mars.” PLOS ONE. 9, no. 3 (March, 2014) [Cited 20 November 2016].
Slack, Kelley J., Thomas J. Williams, Jason S. Schneiderman, et al. “Evidence Report: Risk of Adverse Cognitive or Behavioral
Conditions and Psychiatric Disorders.” (19) National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (April, 2016) [Cited 20 November 2016]
Stuster, Jack. “Behavioral Issues Associated with Long Duration Space Expeditions: Review and Analysis of Astronaut Journals
Experiment 01-E104 (Journals): Final Report.” (17) National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (April, 2016) [Cited 20 November 2016]
