Assessment of Occupational Burnout in United States Air Force Predator/Reaper “Drone” Operators

This study investigates the self-reported levels of occupational burnout among 1,094 U.S. Air Force drone operators stationed within the borders of the United States who are supporting a wide range of around-the-clock military surveillance and weapons strike missions across the globe. Data were gathered from a Web-based survey of demographic items and the Maslach Burnout Inventory assessing the facets of occupational burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy). The overall survey response rate was 49%. Approximately 20% reported high levels of exhaustion, and 11% reported high levels of cynicism, but only 3% reported low levels of professional efficacy. Predictors of exhaustion, as well as between group differences, were identified along with recommendations for performance improvement and mitigating risks to safety.     

The Influence of Separation from the Mother on Children's Emotional Responses

This study concerns the relationship between alienation and the identity and role crisis in late adolescence. Two hundred and ninety adolescents (18-21 years) divided into age/sex and vocational role commitment groups were given the DJ Scale of Alienation: Self-Social Satisfaction (6). Two indexes were obtained: (a) Alienation (measured by Powerlessness and Self-Abasement) and (b) Self-Dissatisfaction (a measure of psychological disequilibrium). Powerlessness and Self-Abasement were not age/sex differentiated, whereas dissatisfaction-with-self for these attitudes was related to group differences. Young males were self-dissatisfied with their powerless status, and young females with their self-abasing attitudes. Findings were discussed in terms of the resolution of the psychological crisis and the end of the adolescent moratorium.     

Coping attitudes, sources, and practices among Black and Latino college students

We investigated 130 Black and Latino college students regarding their concerns, attitudes toward professional counseling, sources of support, and coping activities. We found that the Black and Latino cultural emphasis on interdependence influenced attitudes toward using professional resources such as a counselor. We also found a significant two-way interaction between gender and race for attitudes toward professional counseling: Black males had less favorable attitudes in comparison to Black females, while Latino males had more favorable attitudes than did Latino females. Both Black and Latino college students had favorable attitudes toward informal support networks. Differences between Black and Latino college students were found for reported concerns and coping sources. Implications for counseling theory, practice, and research are discussed.     

Do Written Reports of Suicide Induce High-School Students to Believe that Suicidal Contagion Will Occur?1

To see if high-school students who read that a distressed adolescent knew about suicide thought that suicidal contagion would occur, 66 consenting high-school students read a written account of John, a high-schooler with multiple problems including knowing someone who had died (either by suicide or viral illness). They then anonymously completed the UCLA Loneliness scale and a questionnaire about what John (or they in the same situation) might do. When John knew of a sympathetic response to a viral illness death, or an unsympathetic response to suicide, he was rated as relatively more likely to make new friends and less likely to want to die. These high school students saw themselves as immune to suicidal contagion from a written report, but thought that others might be vulnerable if people were sympathetic.     

Multicultural perspectives on suicide

Cultural differences exist as to suicide rates, suicide attempts, suicide attitudes such as acceptability, and appropriate treatment of suicide. Although suicide has been studied cross-nationally to highlight cross-cultural differences, the nuances of suicide among racioethnic groups within the United States have been at times been overlooked. The present article discusses suicide among the four (African American, Hispanic American, Native American, Asian American) most populous minority sociopolitical groups in the United States, and makes culture-specific recommendations for treatment and research.     

Diversity of Life Experiences: The Development and Validation of a Biographical Measure of Receptiveness to Dissimilar Others

In light of changing demographics one of the biggest future challenges for selection and promotion will be identifying individuals who are able to effectively work with dissimilar others and are receptive to differences in others. Since a reliable and valid measure of individuals’ receptiveness to dissimilar others does not currently exist, a biodata-based measure of this construct was developed using traditional scale development techniques. Evidence of the new measure’s reliability and validity are provided. Implications for theory-building and future research are presented, as well as potential applications for selection and assessment.     

Antecedents of Physical and Sexual Victimization Among Homeless Women: A Comparison to Homeless Men

Homeless women experience extensive health risks including physical and sexual victimization. Few studies that have gathered information on homeless persons have reported results separately for women or have compared them directly with men. Research that both investigates antecedents of victimization among homeless women and compares them to those for men is necessary to determine whether prevention efforts must be different for each group. We investigated potential antecedents of recent (past 30 days) physical and sexual victimization in a probability sample of 394 homeless women and compared findings to those for 1159 homeless men. As hypothesized, mental disorder, substance dependence, and engaging in economic survival strategies significantly predicted victimization among homeless women. With few dissimilarities, these characteristics also predicted victimization among homeless men. Although differences in the needs and experiences of homeless women and men must be recognized, both women and men require assistance to establish and maintain safe residences, treatment of any substance use and mental disorder, and alternatives to economic survival strategies that place them at risk for victimization.     

The protégé's role in negative mentoring experiences

Negative experiences were obtained from mentors to identify the role played by protégés in creating difficulties within mentoring relationships. Content analysis revealed a wide range of examples, many of which were consistent with theory and research on dysfunctional mentoring and interpersonal relationships. The findings also indicated that the how typical the negative experience was related positively to its perceived impact on the relationship. Further, as the perceived impact of the experience increased, relationship satisfaction decreased. The results are discussed in terms of future research, mentoring theory, and applied practice.