What is the origin of the stress experienced on the Machu Picchu station?
Scientists in Peru have investigated the mental health of staff at the country’s Antarctic station. The results should be used to train teams ahead of new missions.
“Our country was one of the most affected in the world by the Covid-19 pandemic, we had a lot of mortality,” explains Christian Mejia, a medical researcher with the Peruvian health services and co-author of a new study. “So we wondered about the state of mind of our fellow citizens sent to Antarctica in these conditions.” In Peru, the military were particularly exposed. Nearly a quarter of the army corps showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress. “Did you lose loved ones during the pandemic?”, “Is this your first mission to Antarctica?”, “Are you married or cohabiting?”. These are just some of the many questions that health professionals put last year to 25 military personnel on a mission to Peru’s Machu Picchu station. These psychologists studied the origins of stress, depression and anxiety experienced on site. The results, published last November in Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, show that stress does indeed exist, but is felt differently depending on the institution to which they are affiliated.
Peru’s presence in Antarctica lasts three months. Surprisingly, sailors are more stressed than army personnel. Yet they are more accustomed to living together in a confined space. Over this period, stress and depression among sailors increased, while anxiety remained stable. For the army, the opposite is true. All three parameters decreased. “We weren’t able to measure the amount of work, but we should be able to do so in the future. Our hypothesis is based on occupational stress,” explains Christian Mejia. “Those in the navy feel more stress because they have to keep everything in order and deal more with setbacks.”
The journey by ship to Antarctica takes around 20 days. Carrasco, the Peruvian navy ship, is 95 meters long, built for the high seas and for science. It crosses the Drake between Latin America and the Antarctic Peninsula, a particularly turbulent sea area. Some call it the marine graveyard, with waves sometimes exceeding 6 meters in height.
“It’s an arduous task for the crew, and the responsibilities are greater,” explains Jhosselyn Chacon of the Peruvian Army. “Personnel need to be experienced, especially in the field of engineering.” Arriving at Machu Picchu is no mean feat. The equipment has to be unloaded, but once this is done, the sailors tend to stay on standby and take on new responsibilities.
The army – arriving by air – is busy maintaining the station and providing logistical support for the scientists in the field. They fix leaks in buildings and plumbing, often damaged by frost or wind. They also ensure the production of hot water, etc. “Breaks occur when the wind exceeds 30 knots. Then they keep busy, for example, with karaoke or bingo”, explains Jhosselyn Chacon.
As a result, the two institutions react very differently and have different habits. “I come from the Army, and we have, for example, had a new rule in force since last year,” explains Jhosselyn Chacon. “A person can’t go to Antarctica more than three times.” The Army wants as many people as possible to learn to live in Antarctica, so that no one is indispensable. “On the navy side, there’s no limit. To get past the Drake, they usually send those with experience,” she adds.
Medical staff prepare for the longer duration of Peru’s polar missions. A project to extend the Machu Picchu station is under study. With the Brazilian model in mind, the doctors are thinking of organizing training prior to departure. “An apprenticeship similar to what is done in space, so that vital tasks are known by several people, but also to prepare for the mental load of a long wintering,” explains Christian Mejia.
Camille Lin, Polar Journal AG
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