Coping strategies during and after spaceflight: Data from retired cosmonauts

Suedfeld, Peter; Brcic, Jelena; Johnson, Phyllis J.; Gushin, Vadim

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2014.12.011

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Along with Confrontation, we found irony and sarcasm typical for blaming. This reaction is similar to what was described by several authors [e.g., Kanas (2015)] as emotional transfer-a form of psychological defense allowing a cosmonaut to stabilize his psychological state through draining of negative emotions accumulated during a long-term flight (Suedfeld et al, 2015). "Complaints" in crew talks were often objectively justified by chronodeficiency in MCC plans, experts' misunderstanding of the project's place in the overall structure of the schedule, inaccurate description of procedures and conditions made by specialists, equipment availability aboard, and so on (Myasnikov and Stepanova, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Style Features in Communication of the Crews With Mission Control

Yusupova

Shved

Gushin

et al. 2021

Front. Neuroergonomics

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In “Content,” an International Space Station (ISS) Russian segment space experiment, features of communication between the cosmonauts and the Mission Control Center (MCC) were studied using content analysis. The method is based on the concept of stress copings by Lazarus and Folkman. Differences found in the communication of cosmonauts led to assumptions about the existence of individual communication styles in routine communication between the cosmonauts and the MCC. The differences found were defined using V. Satir's classical model of communication types. The pre-dominance of three main communication styles (“computing,” “blaming,” and “placating,” as per Satir) was found. Manifestations and features of styles are discussed, considering the effectiveness of the “computing” style for ISS-MCC communication. Cosmonauts with a pre-dominance of this communication style, mostly are stable and with good self-control. An increase of the “blaming” and the “placating” style features in the communication of cosmonauts may require adaptation of the MCC communication and additional psychological support for the cosmonauts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Style Features in Communication of the Crews With Mission Control

Yusupova

Shved

Gushin

et al. 2021

Front. Neuroergonomics

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“…The position of these strategies at the top of the astronaut/cosmonaut coping hierarchy was also maintained when coping was discretely examined before, during, and after spaceflight. This result was later replicated in a study that exclusively examined narrative coping data from retired cosmonauts (Suedfeld, Brcic, Johnson, & Gushin, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 55%

Coping With the Subterranean Environment: A Thematic Content Analysis of the Narratives of Cave Explorers

MacNeil¹,

Brcic²

2017

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

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In addition to various physical obstacles, the cave environment presents numerous psychological stressors that challenge human explorers. Sources of psychological stress include logistic issues (e.g., limitations to access, communication, and the availability of equipment), a lack of normal sensory stimuli, isolation and confinement, high performance demands, and social conflict associated with team coordination and requirements for cooperation. Thus, the success and safety of caving expeditions depend on the ability of explorers to effectively cope with highly stressful conditions and task demands. This was the first study to investigate coping within the context of caving and cave exploration. Utilizing scoring criteria from Suedfeld, Brcic, and Legkaia (2009), the narratives of 30 cave explorers were content analyzed for mentions of coping strategies across different expedition phases (pre-, during-, and postexpedition). Nationality and leadership status were also examined as potential moderators of coping. Narratives on the exploration of terrestrial, underwater, and terraqueous (i.e. sump-containing) caves were treated as unique conditions given marked differences in these forms of cave exploration. Consistent with previous research on groups performing in extreme and unusual environments, references to problem-focused coping strategies were, overall, more common than those to emotion-focused strategies. However, temporal analyses of coping across expedition phases showed that a more balanced coping orientation emerged post-expedition, with a significant difference in the use of problem-focused versus emotion-focused strategies no longer detectable. Significant effects of cave exploration type and nationality on the reference percentage of particular coping strategies were also detected. The relevance and implications of these findings are discussed, as well as limitations and directions for future research.

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“…A fruitful way to circumvent this problem is focusing on coping strategies and adaptation skills. Suedfeld's team used Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) to examine coping strategies of active and retired astronauts from their narratives and recounts ( Brcic et al., 2018 ; Suedfeld et al., 2015 ). Problem-focused strategies (e.g., strategic problem-solving) were the most common used, followed by emotion-oriented strategies (e.g., optimizing one's emotional response); the choice of coping strategies strongly depends on individual differences (e.g., culture, gender, personality traits).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%