Browsing by Author "Simpson, R. J."

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    Associations between Sleep and Emotion Regulation in Isolated, Confined, and Extreme Environments.
    (Oxford University Press, 2018-04-27) Bower, Joanne L.; Laughlin, M. S.; Connaboy, C.; Simpson, R. J.; Alfano, Candice A.
    Abstract Introduction Understanding interactions between sleep and emotion in isolated, confined, extreme environments (ICEs) is relevant to multiple populations (e.g., military personnel, off-shore workers, astronauts). Little is known about risk and resilience factors affecting sleep in these environments; however conditions (e.g., loss of natural light, communication delays) are conducive to sleep, circadian, and emotional disturbances. This study assesses sleep, neurobehavioral and emotion regulation factors in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), a highly controlled, 3-story analog, simulating human exploration into space. Methods Sixteen participants (9 male) aged 29–52 (M=36.38, SD=7.11) completed a 30-day mission in HERA. Actigraphy data was collected continuously, including 11 days pre-mission. Subjective sleep complaints (Sleep Self-Assessment Scale; pre-mission, mission day 7 (D7), and D14), neurobehavioral symptoms (Neurobehavioral Checklist [NBCL]; pre-mission, D4, D11, D18), and pre-mission emotion regulation (including Anxiety Sensitivity Index and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) were also measured. Analyses included data from D0-D24, after which a sleep manipulation occurred. Results Pre-mission, positive adaptation was negatively associated with subjective sleep complaints (rt= -.47, p=.02). Variability in total sleep time (TST) was negatively associated with emotion regulation difficulties (rt= -.494, p=.02) and poor self-regulation (rt=-.55, p=.02), whilst individuals with higher anxiety sensitivity showed increased sleep percentage (rt=.45, p=.04) and decreased wake after sleep onset (rt= -.43, p=.05). During mission, TST increased, with a significant overall change from pre-mission to D18 (F(2.26, 27.16)=8.91, p=.001, η2partial=.45). Early in the mission (D1-D4), subjective sleep complaints were positively associated with poor self-regulation (rt=.56, p=.005). During D1-D4, sleep onset latency (SOL) was negatively associated with anxious apprehension (rt=-.46, p=.02) and marginally associated with poor self-regulation (rt=-.31, p=.11). In subsequent mission days (D4-D11 and D11-18) the negative association between poor self-regulation and SOL was maintained (rt=-.47, p=.02 and rt=-.47, p=.01 respectively). Conclusion Associations identified between emotional functioning and sleep provide potential indicators of individual risk and resilience patterns within ICEs. Such findings await replication in larger samples and across different environmental conditions.
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    Factor Structure and Validation of the Mental Health Checklist (MHCL) for use in Isolated, Confined and Extreme Environments
    (Elsevier, 2019-03-07) Bower, Joanne L.; Laughlin, M. S.; Connaboy, C.; Simpson, R. J.; Alfano, Candice A.
    Although human psychological risks gravely threaten the safety and success of future Mars missions, current knowledge of the mental health problems most likely to manifest during long duration space exploration (LDSE) is surprisingly inadequate. Previous research conducted during spaceflight and in analog settings has produced discrepant, sometimes contradictory findings and relied on measures that have not been validated for use in extreme environments, where the number, intensity, and duration of stressors exceed typical human experience. We therefore developed the Mental Health Checklist (MHCL) based on subject matter interviews and comprehensive literature reviews. In study one, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in 3 reliable subscales (positive adaptation, poor self-regulation, and anxious apprehension) explaining 53% of the total variance. In study two, we examined the reliability and convergent validity of the MHCL in large sample of participants stationed in Antarctica. Findings suggest the MHCL to have acceptable psychometric properties for use in extreme settings. We encourage other researchers to incorporate the MHCL in future studies, including spaceflight research, and to examine its sensitivity for capturing intra-individual symptom changes over time.
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    Long-Duration Space Exploration and Emotional Health: Recommendations for Conceptualizing and Evaluating Risk.
    (Elsevier, 2017-11-10) Alfano, Candice A.; Bower, Joanne L.; Cowie, J.; Lau, S.; Simpson, R. J.
    Spaceflight to Mars will by far exceed the duration of any previous mission. Although behavioral health risks are routinely highlighted among the most serious threats to crew safety, understanding of specific emotional responses most likely to occur and interfere with mission success has lagged in comparison to other risk domains. Even within the domain of behavioral health, emotional constructs remain to be ‘unpacked’ to the same extent as other factors such as attention and fatigue. The current paper provides a review of previous studies that have examined emotional responses in isolated, confined, extreme environments (ICE) toward informing a needed research agenda. We include research conducted during space flight, long-duration space simulation analogs, and polar environments and utilize a widely-accepted and studied model of emotion and emotion regulation by Gross [6] to conceptualize specific findings. Lastly, we propose four specific directions for future research: (1) use of a guiding theoretical framework for evaluating emotion responses in ICE environments; (2) leveraging multi-method approaches to improve the reliability of subjective reports of emotional health; (3) a priori selection of precise emotional constructs to guide measure selection; and (4) focusing on positive in addition to negative emotion in order to provide a more complete understanding of individual risk and resilience.