Relationship between stated and measured interests of two groups of United States Air Force officers.

Strong VIB scores and interests recorded on personal history forms were compared for Air Force officers in the personnel and accountant-comptroller areas. 3 judges interpreted the SVIB's and 3 classified the stated interests into occupational groups on the SVIB. There was good agreement among the judges on both tasks. Air Force officers tended to select civilian occupations (stated interests) similar to their military occupations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suicide prediction in the US Air Force: Implications for practice.

How can psychologists know which of the many variables in an individual's clinical presentation are most salient to that person's suicide risk? Such certainty requires an empirically validated prediction model that is specific to the population served. Data obtained through the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Office of Special Investigations and the USAF Institute for Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health Risk Analysis were analyzed using multivariate strategies of prediction based on an empirically validated model of suicide prediction (G. K. Brown, A. T. Beck, R. A. Steer, & J. R. Grisham, 2000) and suicide completer versus noncompleter status. The usefulness of the model to the USAF sample is discussed, and several factors unique to a military population are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of Air Force personnel who choose pharmacological aids for smoking cessation following an involuntary tobacco ban and tobacco control program.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare characteristics of smokers who did and did not report use of cessation aids as part of a tobacco control program in a military setting (n = 8994). Design: The study is a longitudinal epidemiological study where the relationship between smoking status at follow-up and use of pharmacologic aids to quit smoking were assessed. Main Outcome Measures: Smoking cessation, post baseline use of cessation aids to quit smoking. Results and Conclusions: Individuals remaining abstinent were 70% less likely to have used NRT/pharmacological aids compared to those that relapsed. NRT/pharmacological aid users were more likely to report plans to smoke after military training, to have friends who smoke, and to accept a cigarette from a friend. NRT/pharmacological aid users were more likely to believe that using NRT was safer than smoking and to have engaged in harm reduction strategies. Our findings suggest that selection bias related to such characteristics may explain some of the discrepancies between effect sizes reported in efficacy compared to effectiveness studies of NRT and smoking outcomes currently reported in the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk for suicidal ideation in the U.S. Air Force: An ecological perspective.

Objective: Suicidal members of the U.S. military often fail to disclose their suicidal urges and behaviors. Military suicide prevention efforts may therefore be enhanced if they also target less stigmatized psychosocial factors that may decrease risk of suicidality. In keeping with Bronfenbrenner's (1977, 1994) model, this study simultaneously examined 4 ecological levels (i.e., individual, family, workplace, and community) of factors variously associated with increased or decreased risk for suicidal ideation. Method: Active-duty U.S. Air Force members (N = 52,780; 79.3% male; 79.2% non-Hispanic White; mean age = 31.78 years, SD = 7.38) completed the 2006 Community Assessment survey (a biennial, anonymous survey conducted at 82 U.S. Air Force bases worldwide), including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (2008) 5-item measure of past-year suicidality along with scales assessing an array of potential predictors. Results: The 1-year rate of suicidal ideation, defined as (a) more than rarely thinking about suicide or (b) ever seriously considering suicide, was approximately 4%. In multivariate models, for men and women, individual- (depressive symptoms and alcohol problems), family- (relationship satisfaction and intimate partner victimization), workplace- (hours worked), and community-level (social support) variables were retained in the final model. However, some sex differences in retained predictors were noted (e.g., men: dissatisfaction with the U.S. Air Force way of life; women: workplace relationship satisfaction and financial stressors). Conclusions: Addressing depressive symptoms and alcohol use, facilitating healthy relationship functioning, and increasing job satisfaction and social support may aid military suicide prevention efforts. These findings illustrate the importance of attending to multiple levels of potential influence when designing integrated suicide prevention and intervention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between speaking times and decision in the employment interview.

Is a job applicant more likely to be hired if the personnel interviewer does the most talking? "A sample of 115 employment interviews conducted by six Army personnel officers was examined. The applicant was accepted by the interviewer in 70 cases and rejected in 45 cases. From a recording of each interview measures were taken of the time the applicant spoke, the time the interviewer spoke, and the total time. The time vacant of speech was determined by subtracting the speaking times from the total time of the interview… . The interviewer influences both the amount the applicant talks and the amount of the time free of speech that accumulates during the interview. The amount the interviewer talks appears to be directly related to his decision to accept an applicant." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)