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Employing a sample of 122 public elementary schools, the present study used results of parent and student surveys to examine relations among school structure, school population composition, parent involvement, and parent perceptions of school safety, school climate, the school facility, the helpfulness of school staff, the academic instruction, teacher-student relationships, and student recognition. At the individual parent level, characteristics associated with higher participation in school activities included having a child enrolled in the gifted and talented program, a child in the second grade, multiple children enrolled in the public schools, and perceptions of a safe, empowering, and positive school climate. In contrast, characteristics associated with lower parent participation in school activities included being Hispanic, African American, or Asian American; being of lower-socioeconomic status; having a child enrolled in either special education or the English-as-a-second-language program. At the...

In this study I employed statistical procedures used in organizational psychology to evaluate whether measurements of school social environment showed group consensus and, further, whether relations between school social environment and parent satisfaction and student enjoyment of classroom activities were related to school membership. Employing scales of school social environment, I obtained perceptions from 26,904 students and 33,153 parents of students who attended 122 elementary schools located in a large, suburban school district. Scale data were analyzed using several statistics that showed the extent of within-school and between-school agreement on the scales and covariation between Parent Overall Satisfaction and Student Enjoyment and the social environment scales. Scales that showed greatest within-school consensus for parents were School Safety and Parent Involvement, and for students, School Facilities, School Safety, School Staff Helpfulness, and Diversity of Friendships. The relation of Paren...

This study examined school climate's relation to the sociodemographic composition of the school student population, school structural characteristics, parental involvement, classroom support in learning, parental satisfaction with public education, and student academic achievement all together at one time in a sample of 122 elementary schools. Parental satisfaction was best predicted by parental perceptions of a safe school and positive climate, followed by the school's informing parents of their child's educational progress and empowering parents. Student performance on a standardized achievement was best predicted by the percentage of students in the Free and Reduced Meals program, parental perceptions of a safe school, and parental involvement. Study results are discussed in terms of two general levels (school and classroom) and types (task support and interpersonal support) of the school's social environment.

The present study employed a sample of 25,087 students enrolled in 117 elementary schools to test whether student perceptions obtained in a general survey of school learning and social environment conformed to the dimensions of Stockard and Mayberry's (1992) conceptual framework for school climate, and whether data could be summarized as grouped (school) or non-grouped (individual) data. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the proposed framework adequately fits student perceptions of school climate. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses showed between-school differences. Although school membership accounted for a small amount of variance in school climate measures, school climate means showed relatively high reliability. School climate dimensions most immediate to the student (Action-Instrumental support and Action-Expressive support) showed the strongest relations to both student self-reported academic performance and student satisfaction, and these relations were generally the same across the schools. As predicted, expressive support as opposed to instrumental support was more beneficial (in terms of self-reported academic performance) to students in schools having proportionally more socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Implications of results for educational research and educational practice regarding school climate are discussed.

Identification of youth at risk for anxiety and unipolar mood disorders (UMDs) can improve public health by targeting those who may warrant early or preventive intervention. This study examined whether endorsing core features of anxiety and UMDs predicted onset of later anxiety and UMDs across the next 7-9 years, and whether having subthreshold or subclinical manifestations of these disorders similarly predicted onset.Data from this study come from the Youth Emotion Project (YEP), a two-site investigation of common and specific risk factors for emotional disorders. Endorsement of core features of a disorder and subclinical or subthreshold anxiety and UMD diagnoses were determined using data from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) at the baseline assessment. Participants completed annual SCIDs over the course of the next 7-9 years (depending on cohort).Endorsement of panic attacks, obsessions and/or compulsions, and depression and/or anhedonia predicted onset of panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and major depressive disorder, respectively. When including all anxiety disorders in a model, only the presence of panic attacks uniquely predicted anxiety disorder onset. The presence of subclinical or subthreshold panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social phobia at baseline predicted the full onset of these disorders over the follow-up period.Experiencing some symptoms of anxiety and UMDs in the absence of meeting diagnostic criteria is indicative of risk for later onsets of clinically significant DSM manifestations of these disorders. These individuals should be identified and targeted for prevention programs.

To better enable soldiers to adapt to stressors of military life, Master Resilience Training has been offered to soldiers since 2009. Few studies have examined whether the training achieves its intended effects. To fill this gap, resilience-trained Army National Guard soldiers and civilians (N = 611) completed online questionnaires about their resilience training experience (72% completion rate, N = 441). Respondents (92% or more) indicated the training was helpful and improved resilience competencies that enhanced coping with stressful circumstances. Respondents (97% or more) indicated that these competencies were subsequently used in their military and civilian jobs. A measure of resilience competencies was developed and showed self-reported changes largely pertained to increased self-awareness and strength of character, including improved optimism, mental agility, and connection with others. Self-reported change in resilience competencies was associated with fewer behavioral health symptoms, especially, for those reporting more current stressful events (known as the buffering effect). Findings are discussed in terms of resilience’s potency of training, content of the training, and the need to elaborate on resilience’s relationship to specific stressors.

The association of long-term bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis and related safety problems such as atypical fractures were not clearly defined. This study was to evaluate the structural, densitometric and biomechanical properties of the prolonged bisphosphonate-loaded bones.Bone mineral density (BMD) at hip and femoral midshaft, bone cross-sectional area, moment of inertia of both femurs, bone formation and resorption biochemical markers were compared between 28 elderly with at least 4 years of bisphosphonate treatment from 2002 through 2006 and age-matched group of 37 elderly.The total hip BMD and t-score were found not different between two groups. However, bisphosphonate treated patients were found to have significantly lower bone mineral content in the femoral shaft (P0.05); morphological study showed lower cross-sectional area in subtrochanteric and mid-diaphyseal region and thus significantly lower moment of inertia (P0.01). High resolution-peripheral quantitative computed tomography showed significantly decreased trabecular density, bone volume ratio, trabecular number but increased trabecular spacing in tibia and distal radius. Finite element analysis further confirmed significantly lower stiffness and failure load in tibia. Biochemical studies also showed lower bone resorption and severely suppressed bone formation activity (P0.001).The unchanged total hip BMD between two groups confirmed the beneficial effects of bisphosphonate on trabecular bone, thus preventing osteoporotic fractures at large in previous studies. However, the inferior structural, densitometric and biomechanical properties at cortical bones, especially femur midshaft, need a special attention to look into the association between long-term bisphosphonate intake and the occurrence of stress fractures. When patients taking bisphosphonate complain of proximal thigh pain or discomfort, plain X-ray film can be the first line screening. All patients prescribed with bisphosphonate should be informed of such a complication though we must stress its rarity.

Combat Exposure and Postdeployment Aggression: The Mediating Effects of Posttraumatic Stress, Negative Emotion, and Postdeployment Stressors The present study tested the intervening effects of Negative emotion and postdeployment stressors on the relationship of combat exposure and posttraumatic stress (PTS) to aggression. Hypothesized relationships were examined using survey data obtained from a sample of National Guard soldiers (N=4,546). Results of structural equation modeling showed the strongest paths going from combat exposure and PTS, specifically, re-experiencing deployment events, to postdeployment Negative emotion to aggressive behaviors. Both re-experiencing deployment and Negative emotion showed a smaller direct effect on postdeployment aggression. Implications of findings for screening and treatment of soldiers having PTS and negative emotional states are discussed.

Researchers have speculated on the nature of relations among parental satisfaction, school climate, and other variables. However, few empirical studies have examined relations among these variables in a causal framework, even when rhetoric of organizational change and its positive effects on parents, students, and teachers is abundant. The purpose of this study was to test a causal model incorporating school climate, school-parent communication, and parent empowerment and their effects on parental involvement and satisfaction. The present study employed a 71.2% sample of 42,818 parents (or 33,244 responding parents) from 122 elementary schools. Parent-school communication and school climate showed the strongest direct effects on parental satisfaction, followed by empowerment. The strongest indirect path to parental satisfaction was from school climate through informing parents. Other paths that showed weaker relations to parental satisfaction were: School climate-empowerment-informed; school climate-empowerment; and school climate-involvement. Parental involvement contributed little variance to parental satisfaction. Nonetheless, interaction terms (parent reports of individual-level school involvement x school-level parent perceptions of school climate, x being informed, x being empowered, x involved) showed that the relation of parental involvement to satisfaction was moderated by how well parents were informed, empowered and involved by the school, and their perceptions of positive school climate.

School-level data on parent perceptions and structural characteristics of 42 elementary schools were used to examine the relation of parental involvement and empowerment to student academic performance. Results showed that measures of parental involvement and empowerment could be reliably predicted. Multiple regression analyses showed that parental involvement and empowerment accounted for substantial variance in student standardized test performance (lowest R 2 = 25% and 5%, respectively). Positive relations of parental involvement to student test performance were largely unaffected by school characteristics or the socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic composition of the student population.

ARID1A is part of the chromatin remodeling complex SWI/SNF, which can modulate transcription positively or negatively. The role of ARID1A in cancer is controversial. It is described as a tumor suppressor since its expression is found lost in several types of cancer. However, recent investigations suggest that ARID1A could also be an important target to sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiation. HuR, an important RNA binding protein, post-transcriptionally regulates specific mRNAs by binding to the 3’ untranslated region (UTR) of its target mRNAs. Through this action, HuR regulates the expression of its target genes by facilitating either RNA stability or protein translation, thereby affecting several signaling pathways including cell-cycle, DNA damage response and apoptosis. In order to identify novel mRNAs regulated by HuR that could be targeted for breast cancer therapy, we performed a ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation (RNP-IP) microarray using an HuR antibody on irradiated and non-irradiated samples from triple negative breast cancer cell lines. This assay showed ARID1A to be potentially regulated by HuR. Accordingly, analysis of the AU-rich elements (ARE) database of the University of Vienna identifies three potential HuR binding sites on ARID1A 3’UTR, two of which are highly conserved in 100 vertebrate species. To demonstrate that HuR post-transcriptionally regulates ARID1A, we first evaluated the effect of HuR expression on ARID1A mRNA and protein levels in breast cancer cell lines. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of HuR led to a decrease in ARID1A mRNA and protein levels. Conversely, HuR forced expression led to an increase in ARID1A levels both at the mRNA and protein levels. We also evaluated the effect of HuR on the stability of ARID1A mRNA. In cells where HuR is genetically inhibited, ARID1A mRNA half-life is dramatically reduced compared to the control. These results demonstrate that HuR positively regulates ARID1A by promoting the stability of ARID1A mRNA. To test whether this regulation is exerted by direct interaction of HuR on ARID1A mRNA, we performed an RNP-IP assay, where we pulldown HuR and analyzed the presence of ARID1A mRNA by RT-PCR. Consistent with our previous results, HuR was found to physically interact with ARID1A, thereby promoting its stabilization. Most importantly, through clonogenic assays, we found that genetic inhibition of either HuR or ARID1A results in radiation sensitivity of TNBC cell lines. Conversely, forced expression of ARID1A promotes radiation resistance. Our results show that (i) ARID1A is a novel HuR target and that (ii) it can dictate radio resistance in HuR overexpressing cancer cells. ARID1A is known to regulate cell cycle and to promote DNA damage repair, which can contribute to resistance to therapy. Altogether, our findings further support an oncogenic role for ARID1A making it an important target for breast cancer treatment. Citation Format: Daniel Andrade, James Griffith, Meghna Mehta, Ranganayaki Muralidharan, William Berry, Myriam Gorospe, Rajagopal Ramesh, Anupama Munshi. ARID1A is a novel HuR target: Implications in breast cancer radiotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3810.

In the mid-1970s, the Total Force policy shifted the active components' combat support and service support to the reserve components. This policy made it necessary to mobilize and deploy reserve component forces in the event of a large-scale war. During the Persian Gulf War, 228,000 reservists were called up, of which 139,207 were army reservists. The war, then, provided a test of the Total Force policy: Were the army reserve components ready for immediate mobilization and deployment in support of combat missions? The present study obtained survey responses from panels of deployed (N=259) and nondeployed (N=576) army reserve junior-ranking enlisted soldiers, before and after Operation Desert Storm. Perceptions of equipment and unit leadership preparation showed significant moderate and positive relationships to soldier perceptions that he(she) and the unit were prepared to fight. Favorable spouse and employer attitudes toward reserve service (as reported by the soldier) were significantly and positively related to the soldier's stated intent to stay in the army reserve, and negatively related to problems caused by extended mobilization and deployment periods. Soldier perceptions of how well their unit leadership was prepared and how well weekend drill prepared them for war were significantly and positively related to reporting for mobilization and staying in the army reserve. In contrast, both before and after Desert Storm, large percentages of deployed and nondeployed soldiers reported problems in unit leadership, preparation in individual job and common soldier skills, and weekend drill personnel utilization.

The mediating effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, negative mood, and social support on the relationship of war experiences to suicidality were examined. The research literature suggested a sequence among study scales representing these constructs, which was then tested on survey data obtained from a sample of National Guard soldiers (N=4,546). Results from structural equation modeling suggested that war experiences may precipitate a sequence of psychological consequences leading to suicidality. However, suicidality may be an enduring behavioral health condition. War experiences showed no direct effects on postdeployment suicidality, rather its effect was indirect through PTSD symptoms and negative mood. War experiences were, however, predictive of PTSD symptoms, as would be expected. PSTD symptoms showed no direct effect on postdeployment suicidality, but showed indirect effects through negative mood. Results also suggested that suicidality is relatively persistent, at least during deployment and postdeployment. The percentage of those at risk for suicide was low both during and after deployment, with little association between suicidality and time since returning from deployment. Additionally, few soldiers were initially nonsuicidal and then reported such symptoms at postdeployment. Implications of relationships of both negative mood and combat trauma to suicidality are discussed, as well as possible mediating effects of both personal dispositions and social support on relationships of war experiences to PTSD, negative mood, and suicidality.

Since 2004, suicides in the U.S. military have risen, most notably in the Army National Guard (ARNG). Data used in this study were obtained for suicides occurring from 2007 to 2010 and for a random sample of nonsuicides from the general ARNG population. Of the military-related variables considered, a few showed relationships to suicide. Rather, the primary variables associated with suicide were soldier background characteristics, including age (17-24 years), race (White), and gender (male). Cluster analysis revealed two distinct suicide groups: "careerists" (about one third of all suicides) and "first-termers" (about two thirds of all suicides), each group exhibiting different concurrent behavioral problems. Language: en

Recently, the news media have been critical of military recruitment advertising for its purported emphasis on money for education, civilian job/career development, and personal growth and for its deemphasis of the potential for mobilization and deployment. To examine the implications of these asser- tions, we studied new Army Reserve entrants both before and after Operation Desert Storm (ODs). Specifically, our purposes were (a) to summarize enlistment motivations of new recruits; (b) to identify subpopulations that joined the Army Reserve for specific motivations and variations of those motivations; and (c) to examine the relationships between enlistment motiva- tions, expectations for mobilization, and willingness to report for mobiliza- tion. The study employed two samples of nonprior service, junior-ranking enlistees who had served 1 year or less in the unit. One sample was drawn in 1990 before ODs (n = 1,059) and the other was drawn in 1991 following ODs (n = 757). Both samples were part of a larger ...

When Shell began an ultraheavy-oil development in Alberta, Canada, the field plan was based on manual pad positioning without consideration for surface hazards, trajectory constraints, or injector/producer slot requirements arising from the prefabricated pad configuration. Shell teams were challenged to investigate alternative field development plans to reduce the initial investment. The volume of wells, surface hazards, trajectory constraints, and pad slot configuration requirements for injector-to-producer ratios made this a formidable task. Shell leveraged the expertise of third-party consultants and powerful software to generate numerous development scenarios, which enabled the Shell staff to focus on the economics of each plan. An aerial image that delineated surface hazards, an elevation grid, and injector/producer targets were loaded into the 3D subsurface visualization environment of the software to generate pad placement simulations, including trajectory designs. The software followed the Shell planning constraints and avoided all surface hazards. The analyses were conducted for the highest, lowest, and median number of pads. From these three scenarios, a value analysis was plotted. This value analysis enabled the planning team to identify the optimal surface-to-reservoir configuration and to maximize the value of the field by delivering all of the reservoir targets, while minimizing the number of pads needed to drill. The output also yielded field cumulative values, including total and nominal well length, to support future economic analyses. The analysis determined that 87 pads maximized the value of the field when 42-well pads were considered. Additional studies determined that when 50-well pads were considered, more than 99% of the planned reservoir targets could be drilled from 72 major and four or fewer minor pads. In either case, a significant reduction from the original 98 pads was realized. Through the combined efforts of Shell engineers and third-party consultants, as well as the use of state-of-the art software, this optimization was completed in only eight worker-weeks. This paper describes the software and processes used to reduce Shell's estimated field development costs and to minimize the environmental effect of the field by reducing the number of pads required.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) is a very rare and reversible cause of dementia, and it is often misdiagnosed as other, more common types of cognitive impairments. The classical triad of NPH includes: gait disturbances, urinary incontinence, and cognitive dysfunction. There is a wide spectrum of psychiatric symptoms that may precede or combine the triad NPH symptoms. In this paper, we report a case of 78-year-old NPH patient with puzzling presentation and his cognitive symptoms' response to ventriculoperitoneal shunt. A review of the literature about NPH pathophysiology, evaluation, its association with several psychiatric and cognitive symptoms, available treatment outlines, and suggested future research directions were evaluated.

The Army Reserve loses approximately 30 percent of its personnel annually. Most of these losses are junior enlisted who do not complete their initial service obligation. The purpose of this study was to develop and test several hypotheses regarding why junior enlisted leave the Army Reserve before the end of their current obligations. Three general models were tested: demographic-pecuniary; unit activities (e.g., unit leadership, training, and administration); and family and civilian employment conflicts with Army Reserve duties in combination with unit activities. Findings support the Army Reserve continuing to offer both pecuniary incentives for joining and remaining in the Army Reserve (i.e., enlistment bonuses and educational benefits) and unit activities that promote feelings of self-worth (e.g., belonging and importance to the unit through recognition and awards) and self-development (through training in military job and general soldiers' skills)

The present study employed both static and dynamic imaging modalities to study both intra- and extravascular events attributing to steroid-associated osteonecrosis (ON) using an experimental protocol with a single low-dose lippolysaccharide (LPS) injection and subsequently three injections of high-dose methylprednisolone (MPS).Fourteen 28-week-old male New Zealand white rabbits received one intravenous injection of LPS (10 microg/kg). After 24 hours, three injections of 20 mg/kg of MPS were given intramuscularly at a time interval of 24 hours. Additional 6 rabbits were used as controls. Dynamic MRI was performed on bilateral femora for local intraosseous perfusion before and after LPS injection. Blood samples were collected for haematological examinations before and after LPS injection. Bilateral femora were dissected and decalcified for microCT-based microangiography. ON lesion, intravascular thrombus and extravascular marrow fat cell size were examined histopathologically.Intravascular thrombus was observed in all ON rabbits. Extravascular marrow fat cell size was significantly increased in ON rabbits than that of the controls (P0.05). Compared to baseline, a significant decrease in ratio of tissue-type-plasminogen-activator/plasminogen-activator inhibitor 1, activated-partial- thromboplatin-time, and a significant increase in ratio of low-density-lipoprotein/high-density-lipoprotein were only found in ON rabbits (P0.05). Dynamic MRI showed a significant decrease in the perfusion index 'maximum enhancement' in the ON rabbits (P0.05) and microCT-based microangiography showed blocked stem vessels in ON samples. Overall, 93% of the rabbits (13/14) developed ON and no rabbits died throughout the experiment period.Both intra- and extravascular events were found attributing to the steroid-associated ON based on our experimental protocol with a single low-dose LPS injection and subsequent three injections of high-dose MPS. Both high ON incidence and no mortality in rabbits treated with this inductive protocol suggested its effectiveness for future studies on evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of interventions developed for prevention of steroid-associated ON.

In 1981, the U.S. Army initiated a new personnel replacement system, called the Unit Replacement System, in selected units. The new training and assignment policy was aimed at improving the perceived lack of group cohesion and low level of morale in U.S. Army units. Survey data were collected from junior-ranking enlisted soldiers in both Individual Replace- ment (IR) and Unit Replacement (UR) units to assess the effects of UR on soldiers' perceptions about interpersonal relations and combat readiness. Surveys were administered during a Zyear period (1986-1988) in three waves 6 to 8 months apart. The purpose of this article is to report the initial findings of this evaluation based on the first three waves of survey data. Company mean scores on measures of cohesion and morale were significantly higher for UR units than for IR units at Time 1, even when controlling for individual soldier and unit characteristics. However, the higher UR-unit scores decreased over time. The only remaining statistical differen...

The RNA-binding protein human antigen R (HuR) associates with U-/AU-rich mRNAs encoding proteins that control cell proliferation, metabolism and the stress response. HuR is overexpressed in several human cancers and its overexpression is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to therapy. While the role of HuR in drug resistance has been studied, its contribution to radiation resistance has not been examined. Therefore, we investigated the role of HuR in radiation resistance of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells: MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468 and Hs578t. Reduction of HuR expression using small interfering (si) RNA decreased cell proliferation and sensitized TNBC cells to ionizing radiation. Clonogenic assays indicated that silencing HuR suppressed the clonogenic survival of all three TNBC cell lines with survival at 2 Gy (SF2) reduced from 59%, 49%, 65% in control cells to 40%, 33%, and 46% in siHuR-treated MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468 and Hs578t cells, respectively. To delineate the underlying mechanism of radiosensitization and to identify candidate mRNAs showing altered levels after silencing HuR, we undertook a ribonomic approach. First, since ionizing radiation enhances the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing DNA damage, we investigated the possible involvement of ROS in siHuR-mediated radiosensitization. ROS production in control or HuR-silenced cells treated with or without radiation was measured using the fluorescent dye 2′-7′-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA). Radiation significantly increased ROS generation in HuR knockdown cells compared to control cells. To further test the involvement of ROS in radiosensitivity, control and HuR-silenced cells were pre-treated with N-Acetyl-L- cysteine (NAC), an ROS scavenger, prior to radiation. The presence of NAC completely prevented radiation sensitivity and ROS production, indicating the involvement of ROS in HuR-mediated radiation sensitivity. Second, we directly tested the involvement of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway in radiosensitivity after silencing HuR by evaluating the number of γ-H2AX foci (a common indicator of DNA damage) in control and HuR-silenced cells following irradiation. Our results showed that the number of γ-H2AX foci was significantly greater in HuR-silenced cells than in control cells at 1 h, 2 h and 24 h after irradiation. The persistence of γ-H2AX foci suggests that radiosensitization by HuR silencing involves inhibition of the repair of damaged DNA. This hypothesis was supported by the comet assay, which showed that HuR-silenced cells had larger and longer-lasting tails than control cells, in keeping with the higher levels of DNA damage seen after silencing HuR. Our studies indicate that radiosensitization upon HuR knockdown is linked to suppression of the cellular response to genotoxic and oxidative damage. Citation Format: Meghna Mehta, James Griffith, Kanthesh Basalingappa, Anish Babu, Narsireddy Amreddy, Ranganayaki Muralidharan, Myriam Gorospe, Terence Herman, Wei-Qun Ding, Rajagopal Ramesh, Anupama Munshi. The RNA-binding protein HuR radiosensitizes human TNBC cells by modulating the cellular response to DNA damage and oxidative stress. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3306. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3306

This chapter describes the first community mental health center opened in Gjakova, Kosovo in 2001, following 10 years of conflict in the region from 1989 to 1999. The design and training for the services at the Gjakova Center for Mental Health grew out of an ongoing collaboration between U.S. and Kosovar mental health professionals, known as the Kosovar Family Professional Education Collaboration (KFPEC). Since 1999, the work of the KFPEC has supported the development of a family-focused community mental health system in Kosova, the center in Gjakova being the first of seven planned community mental health centers.

The common background and reduced disruption among personnel in Army Reserve and Army National Guard units are presumed to make these units very cohesive. The recent Persian Gulf War often necessitated reassigning soldiers from their original units to others to obtain the adequate number of personnel and the right mix of military occupational specialties in deployed units. This study examined the effects of reassigning privates through staff sergeants (E1-E6), some of whom were deployed with their units ( N = 1,572) and some of whom were deployed individually with another unit ( N = 209) during Operation Desert Storm. Possible benefits of keeping soldiers in intact units during deployment included greater civilian employers' support during deployment, fewer administrative procedural problems affecting soldiers (e.g., paying the soldier), and greater community support after soldiers' return. Individually deployed soldiers may have been motivated to go with another unit during deployment (e.g., perceptions of greater readiness in individual military and combat skill and lower readiness of their unit). Being individually deployed was not associated with lower organizational commitment (Army Reserve career intent) or future readiness (willingness to report for future mobilizations and perceived family support).

An important concept that has gained the widespread attention of community mental health practitioners and researchers has been social support networks, and their role in help-seeking behavior and remediating personal distress. Despite the plethora of social support research in the last decade, several questions remain: Who are these natural providers of support and comfort? Where are they met? What is the relationship of network characteristics to the psychological well-being of the helped person? Are there gender and racial differences in answering these questions? To address these questions, randomly selected adults (n = 361) living in one of three suburban communities in southern California provided responses to a standardized measure of psychological distress, and also, named those persons on whom they depended when personal problems arose. Same-sex friends and members of the respondent's immediate family were cited most often as sources of social support. Respondents depended more often on women tha...

Most discussions of Mexican American mental health need have been limited to analyses of service utilization or rates-under-treatment data. Such analyses have been fairly consistent in showing Mexican Americans to be underutilizers in relation to their occurrence in the general population, and consequently, they have been viewed as a subgroup having greater unmet mental health need than other ethnic subgroups. Yet, these rates-under-treatment studies implicitly assume that the proportion of psychological impairment is equivalent across ethnic sub-groups. Results from recent epidemiologic surveys, and conceptual and methodological shortcomings of the rates-under-treatment method seriously question the accuracy of this approach to need assessment. An alternative conception of mental health need is offered which includes two components believed to be essential to derive an estimate of mental health need for Mexican Americans: the degree to which this subgroup is actually at-risk to develop psychological disorders, and the availability and use of naturally-occurring emotional support networks.