Unit Cohesion,Resilience, and Mental Health of Soldiers in Basic Combat Training

Military unit cohesion has been shown to correlate with physical and psychological outcomes. However, little is known about the development of cohesion in the early days of military service during Basic Combat Training (BCT) and how it relates to positive support and the negative stressors of training. The current study assessed the development of unit cohesion across the 10-week BCT period (N = 1,939), and the relation of cohesion to stress, resilience, mental health measures, and BCT outcomes (graduation, passing the Army Physical Fitness Test, and final Basic Rifle Marksmanship scores). The sample was primarily male (62%), under age 25 (88%), and unmarried (88%). All putative mediators showed significant change over time. Unit cohesion increased over time (slope 0.22; p < .001), and these increases were associated with decreases in psychological distress (p < .001), sleep problems (p < .001), and tolerance of BCT stressors (p < .001), as well as increases in resilience (p < .001), confidence managing stress reactions (p < .001), and positive states of mind (p < .001). Unit cohesion was indirectly associated with successful graduation and passing the Army Physical Fitness Test through cohesion-related improvement in psychological distress, resilience, and confidence managing reactions to stress. Sleep problems also mediated BCT graduation. Cohesion effects on the Basic Rifle Marksmanship scores were mediated by psychological distress and tolerance of BCT stressors only. These results suggest that unit cohesion may play a key role in the development of psychological health among new soldiers.     

Behandlungsleitlinie Persönlichkeitsstörungen

The S2 guidelines for the treatment of personality disorders (PD) are summarized. In the diagnostic assessment of personality disorders a clinical interview should be supplemented by (semi-) structured clinical interviews and self-report measures for the categorical and dimensional assessment of PDs. The results of the assessment process should be communicated to the patient based on a psycho-educational framework. The diagnosis should always be linked to the patient’s individual history. Psychotherapy is the treatment of choice for personality disorders. A detailed analysis of the patient’s problems as well as the definition of a hierarchy of treatment goals are part of the process of treatment planning. For three PDs empirical evidence for treatment approaches is available: (1) dialectical behavior therapy, mentalization-based therapy, schema focused therapy and transference focused therapy all proved beneficial in the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Cognitive-behavior therapy proved helpful in the treatment of (2) dissociative personality disorder and (3) avoidant personality disorder. There is limited evidence for interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic therapies in the treatment of avoidant personality disorder.     

A note on using alpha and stratified alpha to estimate the reliability of a test composed of item parcels

Several authors have suggested that prior to conducting a confirmatory factor analysis it may be useful to group items into a smaller number of item ‘parcels’ or ‘testlets’. The present paper mathematically shows that coefficient alpha based on these parcel scores will only exceed alpha based on the entire set of items if W, the ratio of the average covariance of items between parcels to the average covariance of items within parcels, is greater than unity. If W is less than unity, however, and errors of measurement are uncorrelated, then stratified alpha will be a better lower bound to the reliability of a measure than the other two coefficients. Stratified alpha are also equal to the true reliability of a test when items within parcels are essentially tau‐equivalent if one assumes that errors of measurement are not correlated.     

Extracting the Variance Inflation Factor and Other Multicollinearity Diagnostics from Typical Regression Results

Multicollinearity is a potential problem in all regression analyses. However, the examination of multicollinearity is rarely reported in primary studies. In this article we discuss and show several post hoc methods for assessing multicollinearity. One such multicollinearity diagnostic is the variance inflation factor. We outline the post hoc variance inflation factor method, which computes the variance inflation factor from the standardized regression coefficient and semi-partial correlation, both of which can be calculated from commonly reported regression results. Three examples of computing multicollinearity diagnostics using data from published studies are shown. We conclude with a discussion and practical implications.     

Ethical Challenges for Military Psychologists: When Worlds Collide

Despite the mental health needs in the military and improved access to military psychologists, many in need do not seek psychological services. The military policies, culture, and environment pose considerable barriers to help seeking. In turn, military practices often conflict with the psychologist’s professional ethics, leading to a range of ethical dilemmas including multiple relationships, multiple agencies, and limited confidentiality. To address ethical concerns and encourage service members to seek mental health services, this article proposes maintaining an understanding of military rules, law, and professional ethics; identifying multiple relationships and establishing boundaries up front; and collaborating with the patient in disclosures of information.     

I Can't Wait to Get Married: Gender Differences in Drive to Marry

In this study we examined a new construct—the Drive to Marry (DTM). Young single men and women (149 men and 246 women) rated their desire to get married and completed measures of their valuing of marital, parental, and occupational roles; concern about others' views of them; and feminist attitudes. We found that women had a higher DTM than did men. In both genders, DTM was predicted by the value of parental role and by concern about others' views of them. In women, DTM was also predicted by traditional attitudes toward gender roles, and there was a trend for women who valued the occupational role to have a lower DTM. Conservative women, women who valued the parental role, and women with a higher DTM were also more likely to want to use the title “Mrs.” and to adopt their husband's surname. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association in May 2004.