Abstract: Background Data on psychophysiological adaptation and psychological coping mechanisms in women under simulated spaceflight conditions, including dry immersion (DI), remains limited. The aim was to identify the structure of stress factors and explore factors associated with the dynamics of adaptation in women during 5-day DI as a model of acute adaptation to spaceflight conditions. Materials and methods Seven female subjects participated in a 5-day DI study. Monitoring methods included thematic content analysis of video diaries, self-assessment questionnaires (PANAS, and 9 CorrShell state indicators), automated facial expression analysis (FaceReader), and assessment of interaction with the duty team. Cognitive performance was assessed using the CorrShell sensorimotor test battery. Linear mixed modeling (LMM) was used to analyze the relationships. Results Qualitative analysis revealed a multi-level structure of stressors, where somatic discomfort (back pain, nausea) and lack of autonomy played a leading role. On day 3, Valence and Positive Affect decreased, coinciding with physical complaints. By day 5, an increase in negative emotions (Angry) was recorded, which is explained by the “finish effect” and satiation with DI conditions. LMM analysis showed that problem-focused coping allowed for maintaining a stable emotional state during the day at the cost of increased tension in the morning. A social inhibition effect was revealed: high Sympathy for the personnel correlated with an increase in errors in cognitive tests. Conclusions The results emphasize the advantages of objective video monitoring over questionnaire methods and indicate the need to develop targeted psychological support tools aimed at compensating for somatic discomfort and restoring a sense of control under conditions of simulated spaceflight stress factors. Limitations Findings are exploratory given N = 7; the absence of a male comparison group.

Cite: Savinkina A. , Kuznetsova P. , Nekto A. , Grodnikova A.
Psychological adaptation in women during 5-day dry immersion: A multi-method study of stress and coping
Acta Astronautica. 2026. V.249. NA. P.1156-1174. DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.08.023 OpenAlex

Dates:

Submitted:	May 14, 2026
Accepted:	Aug 5, 2026
Published online:	Aug 6, 2026
Published print:	Aug 13, 2026

Identifiers:

OpenAlex:

W7196961108

Citing: Пока нет цитирований

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