Mood and Sleep Status and Mental Disorders During Prolonged Winter-Over Residence in Two Korean Antarctic Stations

PURPOSE: Antarctica is a region with extreme climate, characterized by extreme cold and photoperiod. No research has been conducted on the mental health of Korean Antarctic dispatchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of mental illness and changes in mood and sleep among Korean crew members staying for a long-term period in the Antarctic station. METHODS: From 2017 to 2020, crew members who were dispatched from South Korea to two Antarctic stations for a one-year period participated in this study. The crew were evaluated for mood and sleep status and mental illness through psychological tests and interviews by board-certified psychiatrists once before departure and twice during their stay in Antarctica. The incidence of mental illness was confirmed and changes in sleep and depression were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 88 participants were included in the final analysis, and 7 of them (8.0%) were diagnosed with mental disorders such as insomnia in early winter. The total Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score increased significantly in the early winter period, and the total Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) scores increased in both early and late winter. The difference in changes in mood and sleep symptoms before, during, and after dispatch between the two stations was not significant. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate the mental illness and mood and sleep status of Korean crews dispatched to Antarctica. In early winter, there were significant increases in mental illness and depressive symptoms, and a worsening of sleep status.