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This guidebook poses six specific topics for examination. Each topic represents a common and familiar scenario. It is intended to help build a knowledge base of research methods for the personnel who staff the Army's Family Advocacy Program. The material covered includes the following questions: (1) How much abuse is there? (2) What are the differences in types of maltreatment? (3) What effect does change in population size have on rates? (4) Who are the victims and offenders? (5) What are the effects of substance involvement on spouse and child abuse? (6) What information can FAP gain from the source of referral? This document will serve several purposes: (1) to teach some basic research methods; (2) to help FAP managers gather and analyze information from subordinates, and (3) to help people in the field analyze their own unique situation.

This report is an analysis of the child abuse and neglect cases that have been recorded in the Army Central Registry between 1989-1996. The following types of case data are recorded: source of referral, demographic characteristics of the victim and offender, location of victim residence and where the incident occurred, the relationship of the victim to the offender, the offender's history of violence and abuse, substance abuse involvement of the victim and the offender, and the military and civil actions that had occurred at the time the case was reported. At the time of this report, there were 30,551 initial substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect, or an average of about 3,80 cases per year. There were 2,336 subsequent incidents and 1,483 re-opened cases. A complete tabulation of the comparisons of the percentages of initial substantiated, subsequent incidents, and re-opened cases is presented in the report.

Interviews with and observations of experienced and inexperienced personnel were conducted to determine their coping strategies before, during, and after their work with the bodies of people who had died violently. Avoidance, denial, and social support from the work group and spouse appeared to facilitate coping. The implications of these findings for therapeutic intervention are discussed.... Military medicine, Psychiatry, Death, Violence, Human remains., Pub. in American Jnl. Orthopsychiatry v63 n2 p209- 214 Apr 93

An estimated 7% of the U.S. population is exposed to traumas/disasters each year. In the military, traumatic events caused by training, war, and combat, are an expected part of life. Understanding individual, unit and community responses to traumas/disasters is critical to developing better ways to aid the rapid recovery of the exposed individuals/groups. This volume reviews the initial data from two 1989 disasters: the Sioux City, Iowa crash of United Flight 232 and the explosion in the USS Iowa gun turret. These studies focus on the short- and long-term reactions of the rescue workers and afford the opportunity to compare and contrast these disasters and their impact on rescue workers. Several features of the trauma affect people's responses: death of a loved one, threat to one's own life, warning vs. unexpected, displacement from one's home, exposure to the grotesque and the duration of exposure to the trauma. The Flight 232 crash and the USS Iowa explosion provide the opportunity to learn more about these factors. Both tragedies share many features but also differ in ways that may further elucidate factors influencing the impact of a disaster on a community.

This volume presents preliminary data on the responses of support personnel before the Persian Gulf War and of a group of service members who were wounded or became in during the war. While there is a great deal of literature on the stresses of war on combatants, until very recently less work has focused on the stresses experienced by people taking care of the wounded and dead. In the first two sections, data collected before the initiation of the ground war is presented. These data were collected from personnel assigned to the USNS comfort, a hospital ship, and the Port Mortuary in Dover, Delaware, the site for receiving all the American dead from the Persian Gulf War. The common stressers involved in being deployed are examined as well as the anticipatory stresses involved in preparing to care for the injured and dead. The final section of the volume gives an introduction to the experience of being wounded or becoming ill during the Gulf War. Patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with war- related illness were evaluated using interviews and questionnaires. Stress, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Combat Psychiatry, Disaster Workers, Disaster, Military Psychiatry, Operation Desert Storm, Persian Gulf War, Death, Military Psychiatry, Social Support, Desert Shield.

United Airlines flight 232 crashed at Sioux City, Iowa on 19 July 1989. The primary rescue workers were the men and women from the 185th Air National Guard Group. Because of the massive death and destruction caused by the crash, a psychiatric consultation team was requested by the U. S. Air Force Surgeon General to assist the Air National Guard personnel. The consultation had four goals: (1) provide consultation to the Air National Guard on the mental health of the community (2) provide direct psychiatric services on an acute basis and referral for follow-up care, if necessary; (3) train mental health personnel as consultants following disasters; and (4) develop and implement a research plan which would address the health consequences of the rescue work, both immediate and long-term. The consultation included community-oriented interventions directed toward reducing the effects of psychological stress on high risk groups. This paper describes the consultations and the one year follow-up.

This volume reviews data collected from three different disasters: (1) the Ramstein Air Force Base Flutag Disaster, (2) the crash of a C-141 from Norton Air Force Base, and (3) responses of those who participated in the body identification process of the sailors killed aboard the USS Iowa Naval Disaster. This report presents a description of findings rather than conclusions. From these studies it appears exposure to traumatic events, in particular, death and dismembered bodies, is extremely stressful. Individual and unit recovery can be expected and occurs over a period of months, not hours or days. Supervisors should be alert to over dedication which can be a risk factor for increased difficulties. The expression of feelings at unexpected times and in unexpected places is a natural part of recovery following a disaster. Informing disaster workers about the events of the disaster and involving spouses/significant others in the recovery process increases the strength of recovery environment and is an important aspect of mobilizing the community to support both disaster victims and support givers. Award and recognition for disaster work are very important to the integration of the experience into the normal pattern of life. Sensitive leadership is critical to individual and unit recovery. Keywords: Trauma, Disasters, Recovery, Military Psychiatry, Community Responses, Post- Traumatic Stress, Mental Health, Social psychology.

This WRAIR Annual Report concerns research activities conducted by members of the Department of Military Psychiatry for the period 1 October 1987 - 30 September 1988. This report provides a status update of research projects to include a brief description of the purpose, major projects completed during this period, and those expected during the next fiscal year. Keywords: Stress, Coping, Survivor, Traumatic loss, Suicide, Cohesion, Morale, Performance, Reconstitution, Work, Leadership, Life events, Underemployment, Family, Wives, Spouse, Children.

This WRAIR Annual Report concerns research activities conducted by members of the Department of Military Psychiatry for the period 1 October 1988 - 30 September 1989. This report provides a status update of research projects to include a brief description of the purpose, major projects completed during this period, and those expected during the next fiscal year. Keywords: Stress, Coping, Survivor, Traumatic loss, Suicide, Cohesion, Morale, Performance, Reconstitution, Work, Leadership, NCO, COHORT, Soldier, Family ,Wives, Spouse, Children.

The effects of isometric and isotonic forearm exercise upon hand skin temperature were evaluated in a cold and a warm environment. It was found that the average skin temperature increased during exercise in the cold compared to cold alone. In the warm condition, exercise produced a small decrease in hand skin temperature. (Author)

A field study was conducted to define the effects of environmental cold stress on the individual and group performance at US Army soldiers undergoing infantry training. Observations were made on individual and unit performance, incidence and type of medical problems and social organization and how social factors affect unit performance and health. Interviews were obtained from experienced individuals. Conclusions and recommendations were made regarding winter warfare training. (Author)

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), California Personality Inventory (CPI), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Number Facility (NF) test, Embedded Figures Test (EFT), and a portable Rod and Frame Test (RFT) were given to US Army enlisted men to obtain norms and intercorrelations of some of the tests. It was determined that: the NF test is a valid predictor of numerical ability; GT scores can be used as good predictors of WAIS intelligence; and the EFT is more useful than the RFT for differentiating subjects into field dependence-independence.

A method for testing the impairment of short-term memory, is described, and experimental support of its usefulness is presented. The test is the delayed recall of numbers and consists of the recall of single-digit to progressively longer multi-digit numbers at three short intervals per number. The test was evaluated for the ability of recall of digits forward and backward to measure memory deficits caused by scopolamine. It was determined that the digits-forward test is sufficient to observe effects on memory and that memory deficit is dose-dependent for three doses of scopolamine. (Author)