Job satisfaction, occupational stress, and personality characteristics of Air Force military training instructors.

The authors present findings from the preliminary stage of a research program intended to improve the selection and retention of U.S. Air Force military training instructors (MTIs). Data derived from an initial sample of 100 incumbent instructors are discussed. Global job satisfaction and occupational stress levels, along with normal personality traits measured by the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, are presented. Results indicate a wide range of reported job satisfaction and stress among MTIs, with a sizable proportion indicating that they would not volunteer for this duty again. Several personality characteristics appear to be salient in distinguishing satisfied and adaptive MTIs from those who are unsatisfied and coping poorly. The authors outline plans for the long-term continuation and expansion of the project to develop an empirically based selection system for the MTI career field.

Readministration of the MMPI-2 following defensive invalidation in a military job applicant sample.

Job applicants whose response style on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer) is excessively defensive create a dilemma for psychologists working in personnel selection settings. Clinical guidelines recommend the profile be considered uninterpretable, but the absence of usable testing data could lead to the elimination of otherwise qualified candidates. Readministering the MMPI-2 with altered instructions to reduce defensive responding has been suggested as an alternative. This option has lacked empirical support until recently. One study (Butcher, Morfitt, Rouse, & Holden, 1997) evaluated the effects of altered instructions on retest validity in a civilian job applicant sample, with the majority of participants obtaining valid and normal profiles on retest. The purpose of this study was to determine if these results would be replicated in a military job applicant sample. Participants were 97 military personnel who completed the MMPI-2 as part of application for selection to instructor duty. Forty-seven participants had obtained invalid profiles and retook the MMPI-2 after receiving instructions intended to reduce defensiveness. The results showed that 83% of retested participants obtained valid profiles on the second MMPI-2. The second test results were very similar in profile to those obtained from a comparison group of 50 participants whose initial MMPI-2 results were valid. The findings are discussed in terms of study limitations and future research directions.

Stress management training for military trainees returned to duty after a mental health evaluation: effect on graduation rates.

A significant proportion of people entering the military are discharged within the first 6 months of enlistment. Mental health related problems are often cited as the cause of discharge. This study evaluated the utility of stress inoculation training in helping reduce the attrition of a sample of Air Force trainees at risk for discharge from basic military training. Participants were 178 trainees referred for a psychological evaluation from basic training. Participants were randomly assigned to a 2-session stress management group or a usual-care control condition. Compared with past studies that used less rigorous methodology, this study did not find that exposure to stress management information increased the probability of graduating basic military training. Results are discussed in terms of possible reasons for the lack of treatment effects and directions for future research.

Predicting outcome of military basic training for individuals referred for psychological evaluation.

We examined outcome data for 632 U.S. Air Force personnel who were referred for psychological evaluation during Basic Military Training (BMT) but who were subsequently returned to BMT to determine what proportion graduated. We analyzed motivational, biographical, and psychological testing variables, using logistic regression to develop a model predictive of training outcome. The results demonstrated that a relatively small number of variables could predict outcome with close to 70% accuracy. Level of optimism regarding training, history of physical abuse, and frequency of visits to the trainee health clinic were major contributors to the model. MMPI-2 (Hathaway & McKinley, 1989) Scales D and Sc also remained in the model but added little to its power. The findings are generally consistent with prior research on normal military populations, except that some factors previously linked to adjustment, such as sex and ethnicity, were found to be unrelated to training outcome in this population.

Mental health attrition from Air Force basic military training.

The Department of Defense invests considerable money in recruiting and training new military recruits who are discharged for mental health reasons before completing their first enlistment, often within the first 6 months of active duty. The purpose of this study was to provide a description of 1,138 Air Force recruits referred for a mental health evaluation while in basic military training. Variables examined include dispositions, demographic features, diagnoses, mental health history, and attitude and motivation characteristics. Findings show that trainees recommended for discharge often had a history of depression, expressed a lack of motivation to continue in the military, were reporting suicidal ideation, and typically had withheld information on their mental health history during their Military Entrance Processing Station processing. The results are discussed in terms of potential strategies for reducing mental health attrition in Air Force basic military training.

Critical incident stress intervention following fatal aircraft mishaps.

This article offers guidelines for conducting preventive mental health interventions using a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) model with Air Force and other aviation communities that have experienced a fatal aircraft mishap. The guidelines are based on the authors' experiences in providing assistance to several hundred active duty military personnel and their families following two separate mishaps. The article outlines the basics of the CISD model, briefly describes the two mishaps, and then discusses the lessons learned.

Discrepancies between self-reported smoking and carboxyhemoglobin: an analysis of the second national health and nutrition survey.

Environmental, self-report, and demographic factors mediated the relationship between self-reported cigarette smoking and carboxyhemoglobin among 2114 smokers and 3918 nonsmokers. Self-reported nonsmokers with carboxyhemoglobin levels between 2% and 3% were more likely to be self-reported ex-smokers, to live in a larger community, and to be younger, less educated, and male than were self-reported nonsmokers with carboxyhemoglobin levels of less than 2%. Self-reported nonsmokers with strong evidence of cigarette consumption (carboxyhemoglobin level greater than 3%) were more likely to be self-reported ex-smokers, younger, less educated, and non-White than were nonsmokers with carboxyhemoglobin levels of less than 2%.

Contributions of sibling relations to the adaptation of youths with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Associations among sibling relations and the psychosocial and illness-specific adaptation of youths (N = 66) with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were examined. The findings suggest that sibling relations, especially sibling conflict, contribute an independent source of variance above and beyond that contributed by demographic characteristics, sibling constellation variables, and important dimensions of family relations in predicting the youths' adaptation. High family-life stress and high sibling status/power contributed unique variance in predicting internalizing behaviors, and male gender and sibling conflict contributed independently to externalizing problems. Sibling conflict also contributed unique variance to the youth's general self-esteem, along with social class and family cohesion, and to their adjustment to IDDM. Data suggest that parent-child dyads and sibling dyads represent interrelated and independent subsystems within the family, and that both subsystems may influence the psychosocial functioning of youths with IDDM.

Coping styles in youths with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The relationships between two coping styles (i.e., use of personal and interpersonal resources; ventilation and avoidance) and two health outcomes (i.e., adherence and metabolic control) were evaluated in 135 youths with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Individual characteristics (i.e., age, duration of illness) and contextual variables (i.e., stress, family relations) were used to predict coping styles. Poor adherence to treatment, older adolescent age, and long duration of IDDM were correlated with ventilation and avoidance coping. Youths with short duration of IDDM were more likely to cope through the use of personal and interpersonal resources, although this strategy was not associated with health outcomes. A multiple regression analysis indicated that high ventilation and avoidance coping was predicted by high stress, low family cohesion, and older adolescent age. In addition, the interaction between family adaptability and duration of IDDM significantly predicted ventilation and avoidance coping.

Factors associated with participation, attrition, and outcome in a smoking cessation program at the workplace.

Despite their growing popularity, worksite health-promotion programs have generally been characterized as having low participation rates, high attrition rates, and modest outcomes. This investigation identified the predictors of participation, attrition, and outcome of worksite smoking-cessation program. Subjects were regular cigarette smokers recruited from two worksites. Of 66 eligible smokers in the two worksites, 44 (67%) agreed to participate in the program. Fifty-five percent (24 of 44) of these completed the program. Of those completing the program, 29% had quit smoking by posttest and 17% were abstinent at the 6-month follow-up. Results indicated that a different set of variables predicted participation, attrition, and outcome. The significant predictors of smokers who participated were the length of cessation in previous abstinence attempts, the number of years they smoked, and the belief regarding personal vulnerability in contracting a smoking-related disease. Levels of pretest carbon monoxide along with attitudes regarding the adoption of smoking restrictions in the worksite predicted attrition. Posttest cessation was related to nicotine levels of cigarette brand smoked at pretest and pretest beliefs regarding postcessation weight gain. Abstinence at the 6-month follow-up was predicted by the number of co-workers who smoked and pretest concerns related to postcessation weight gain. The results are discussed in terms of future evaluation and intervention efforts.