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THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF WORKING IN A LUNAR SETTLEMENT

THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF WORKING IN A LUNAR SETTLEMENT. CHESTER S. SPELL School of Business-Camden Rutgers University cspell@camden.rutgers.edu. Technology makes it possible for human beings to live and work in places that in the past we could neither reach nor have survived in.

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THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF WORKING IN A LUNAR SETTLEMENT

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  1. THE MENTAL HEALTHIMPLICATIONS OF WORKING IN A LUNAR SETTLEMENT CHESTER S. SPELLSchool of Business-CamdenRutgers Universitycspell@camden.rutgers.edu

  2. Technology makes it possible for human beings to live and work in places that in the past we could neither reach nor have survived in. • Extreme environments (e.g. Lunar base) present unique opportunities for psychological research and applications.

  3. Prior Research Psychological research of EUEs: • polar stations • space vehicles • undersea habitats Methods : psychometric and projective tests, interviews, participant observations, field studies, simulations

  4. The Good News • Autobiographical accounts of astronauts(Collins 1974). • Polar crews report many more positive than negative experiences • Twenty-six of 28 participants in a undersea habitat study were willing to do it again

  5. Perception and reality • How people experience an environment is more important than the objective characteristics of the environment (Suedfeld 1991).

  6. Potential negative impact on psychological well-being Social isolation Confinement Sensory restriction Circadian Rhythms

  7. Confinement & Monotony • After 2 weeks the foremost psychological irritants were inadequate leadership and the behavior of others (Smith,1969) . • Members with low social coherence report significantly more depression, anxiety, and anger (Palinkas,2003)

  8. Conflict • Murderous attack over a chess game (Palinkas 1990) • Assault with a hammer (New Zealand Herald 1996). • Foreign visitors in Russian and American space flights felt marginalized.

  9. Are prior results relevant for a lunar base? • Unlikely that we can generalize data from Mercury missions, Shuttle missions of a week or two, Mir space station missions of 6–12 months.

  10. Our research:Study 1 • People working in groups share perceptions of fairness of work assignments, responsibility, etc. • The work group’s “fairness climate” can affect individual levels of anxiety and depression (Spell & Arnold, in press) • Social contagion-feelings of fairness (or unfairness)

  11. Implication: in cohesive groups (limited interaction outside of group) establishing and maintaining fair procedures especially significant

  12. Our research:Study 2 • Faultlines: subgroups or divisions • Gender • Age • Experience level • Ethnic group • groups with strong faultlines and unsupportive supervisors were less anxious and depressed than groups with weak faultlines • groups with strong faultlines and perceived unfairness were less anxious and depressed than groups with weak faultlines

  13. Implications • Group composition affects individual mental health • In diverse work groups, importance of supportive supervisor trained in leadership • Speculation: effects exacerbated in extreme and isolated work environment of a lunar base

  14. Recommendations • Radloff & Helmreich: those who were considered best suited to working under water could also walk on it(!) • (Russian) space program:stress test requiring a group of candidates to drive a small car cross-country • Select crews, not just individuals

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