Age Peculiarities of Psychological Adaptation of Ukrainian Winterers for Life in Antarctic Conditions

Abstract

The peculiarities of winterers’ psychological adaptation to extreme conditions of life article are discussed in the article. In winter Ukrainian polar explorers, who make researches by the directions consolidated by the State Program, stay long on the limited territory, so that they need adaptation to social isolation and psychological deprivation. In addition, the adaptation of winterers takes place in the severe climate, and it much depends on the readiness of the participants of expedition to the fulfillment of professional responsibilities in the extreme conditions. The aim of the article is to present theoretical bases and practical results of researches on age peculiarities of psychological adaptation of Ukrainian winterers for life in Antarctic conditions on the example of the last 9 expeditions to the Ukrainian Antarctic station «Academician Vernadskyі». Methods. The complex of methods of psychological researches of adaptation processes of personality of a certain age is used. The experiment involved 70 winterers who have been in Antarctica during the year from 2011 to 2019. The results of the research. The results of empirical studies on adaptation rates in winterers of different age groups for previous representatives are presented. After the comparison of survey results during the expedition the presence of changes in psychological characteristics was revealed. It was found that during the stay in Antarctica, some winterers experienced psycho-emotional problems, and revealed typical psychological and psychophysiological changes. It was found that the most difficult period of life was the period of the Antarctic winter. Conclusions. The most adapted age group for life in Antarctic is proved to be middle-aged adults aged from 35 to 45 years. The representatives of this group make up about 40% of participants of the Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions that testifies to the sufficient level of psychological stability of wintering teams.

Keywords

• adaptation
• adaptability
• life in antarctic
• readiness
• preparation for extreme activity
• age groups of adulthood