Abstract:

Objective To investigate the personality，emotional state，social support，and sleep status of Chinese Antarctic winter-over candidate team members，in order to provide practical support and experiential recommendations for polar psychological support work. Methods During the winter training period from February 22 to 28，2024，47 Antarctic winter-over candidate team members were assessed using the big five personality inventory（BFI-44），the depression anxiety stress scales（DASS-21），the perceived social support scale（PSSS），the Pittsburgh sleep quality index（PSQI），and actigraph monitors，and the data were analyzed. Results Winter-over candidates scored significantly higher than Chinese college student norms on the dimensions of extraversion[28.00（25.00，32.00） vs 25.45（22.79，28.15）points]，agreeableness[39.00（35.00，41.00） vs 34.15（31.57，36.67）points]，conscientiousness[（35.49±5.20） vs （23.26±4.32）points，and openness[31.00（29.00，33.00） vs 28.52（25.45，31.52）points]（Z=2.955，4.068，4.284，t=16.111，all P<0.01）. Conversely，they scored significantly lower on neuroticism[（18.47±4.94） vs （33.43±4.37）points，t=-20.753， P<0.01]. Scores for family support[24.00（22.00，27.00） vs 20.10（16.94，23.24）/21.41（18.21，24.47）points]，friend support[24.00（21.00，27.00） vs 18.87（15.64，22.08）/20.54（17.69，23.43）points]，and other support[23.00（21.00， 25.00） vs 19.18（16.16， 20.05）/20.95（18.06，23.88）points] were significantly higher than norms for Chinese youth in plateau and inland areas（Z=3.487，3.953， 4.051，4.568，4.815，4.864，all P<0.01）. Candidates scored significantly higher than Chinese college student norms on depression[6.00（6.00，8.00） vs 2.97（0.24，5.78）points]，anxiety[9.00（8.00，10.00） vs 5.42（2.07，8.78）points]，and stress[9.00（7.00，11.00） vs 6.13（2.49，9.95）points]（Z=5.992，5.995，6.098，all P<0.01）. In terms of PSQI total score[7.00（6.00， 8.00） vs 3.23（1.15，5.40）points]，sleep quality[3.00（1.00，4.00） vs 0.67（0.07，1.25）points]，and sleep efficiency[3.00（3.00，3.00） vs 0.02（0.00，0.51）points]， the scores were significantly higher than Chinese norms（Z=5.995，6.042，6.856，all P<0.01）. However，sleep latency[0.00（0.00，1.00） vs 0.70（0.04，1.35）points]，sleep duration[0.00（0.00，1.00） vs 0.46（0.00，0.91）points]，sleep disturbances[0.00（0.00，0.00） vs 0.83（0.42，1.22）points]，use of sleep medication[0.00（0.00，0.00） vs 0.18（0.00，0.61）points]，and daytime dysfunction[0.00（0.00， 1.00） vs 0.79（0.16，1.43）points] were significantly lower than the Chinese norm（Z=-6.856，-5.617，-4.855，-3.873， -3.166，all P<0.01）. Conclusion Chinese Antarctic winter-over candidate team members exhibit relative emotional stability，high levels of perceived social support，and a generally better psychological state compared to the general population. However，during winter training，they experience elevated states of anxiety and depression，along with sleep problems. Notably，anxiety is more prominent among candidates with a Master's degree，and sleep problems are more significant among married candidates. Therefore，employing scientific and reasonable methods for psychological assessment，selection，intervention，and treatment，along with actively conducting research on issues related to polar psychological support，is highly necessary.

Key words: Antarctic overwintering, Pre-selected team members, Winter training, Psychological evaluation, Sleep conditions, Anxiety and depression