Family strengths and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale: a factor analytic study.

20 new items were developed to measure six concepts of family strengths and were administered, along with the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, to over 266 married subjects as part of a larger survey of current and former members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). A common factor analysis suggested that most of the items were associated with their expected factors, while reliability analyses indicated that most of the scales had acceptable estimates of internal consistency. The marital satisfaction items clearly were associated with their own factor and not other factors, providing support for the unidimensional nature of the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale and for its construct validity.

Pyridostigmine bromide and the long-term subjective health status of a sample of female reserve component Gulf War veterans: a brief report.

The role of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills in explaining the long-term subjective health status of a sample of over 100 female Reserve Component Gulf War veterans was examined through regression analysis. Results fell just short of significance (p < .06) for the prediction of subjective health approximately six years after the war and were clearly not significant for the prediction of subjective health at previous times. Results parallel Golomb's 1999 RAND report, which found suggestive but not conclusive evidence for the possible adverse effects of Gulf War veterans' consumption of pyridostigmine bromide pills. Our data suggest that use of more than 10 pills may have been especially risky with respect to long-term subjective health.

Understanding mail survey response rates among male reserve component Gulf War era veterans.

In this study of current and former male Reserve and National Guard members from the State of Ohio, it was expected that veterans who were older, had more years of military service, who had participated in the Persian Gulf War, who were Euro-Americans, who were higher in rank, who had higher residential stability in Ohio, who belonged to the Air Force, who had higher formal education, and who belonged to the National Guard would have a greater investment in U.S. society as defined by 11 demographic variables. It was assumed that those with greater investment in society would more often have valid addresses and would be more likely to respond to a survey on military issues, thereby biasing sample outcomes in those directions. Results for male veterans were consistent with the hypothesis that investment in the society system would predict validity of addresses and response rates. In other words, results supported the idea that those veterans who might be expected to have a greater investment in U.S. society were more likely to be located and to respond (once located) to a survey concerning Desert Storm-era military service and its aftermath. Implications for future Desert Storm research are discussed.

4-H Night at the Movies: a program for adolescents and their families.

"4-H Night at the Movies," a program to enhance self-esteem in adolescents, is discussed and evaluated. The program uses commercial videotapes of movies about teenagers to enhance adolescents' interest and understanding of their world, and outlines a discussion group format to supplement the videotape. A pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the program's effect on adolescent participants' self-esteem utilizing the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The findings were that participants significantly increased total Self-Concept, Self-Satisfaction, Family Self, and Social Self over the course of the program.

Validation of the Impact of Event Scale on a sample of American Vietnam veterans.

The goal of the present report is to validate the Impact of Event Scale for use as a measure of the enduring nature of reactions to combat stress by 60 American Vietnam veterans. Validity was supported through significant correlations with measures of abusive violence and combat exposure. From factor analysis a single factor (general level of distress) supported the validity of the scale and thereby further use with Vietnam veterans.

Self-concept as a factor in the quality of diets of adolescent girls.

The effect of self-concept on the quality of diets of adolescent girls was investigated. Scores for self-concept as measured by the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) and fat area values were obtained from 160 15-year-old girls. Twenty-four-hour dietary recall interviews were conducted with a random subsample of 40 girls. Mean dietary adequacy ratios (MARs) were calculated to assess dietary quality. Girls in this study had larger arm fat areas than did their national counterparts. Mean intakes of energy and nine nutrients met or exceeded their respective RDAs except for vitamin A, calcium, and iron. MAR values were correlated positively with Self-Satisfaction scores and negatively with carbonated beverages, candy, and baked desserts. Fat area values were correlated negatively with Physical Self scores. Significant predictors of MAR values below 80% were Total Conflict, Moral-Ethical Self, Family Self, Identity, and Physical Self scores.

The degree of family orientation perceived by mothers, fathers, and adolescents.

Data were collected from mothers, fathers, and adolescents in 83 rural and 93 urban families on the degree of family orientation in each subject's self-reported attitudes. Based upon t tests between mothers and fathers, mothers and adolescents, and fathers and adolescents, differences in attitudes about the degree of family orientation among family members were explored. The data were further analyzed for rural-urban differences. Significant family differences were found on eight of ten questions. Mothers demonstrated the highest degree of family orientation. Fathers were often the most individualistic in their total attitudes. Adolescents wanted to be autonomous but still retain the security of knowing that they had family-oriented parents.

Family factors in the lives of drug users and abusers.

A review of the literature suggested nine family factors which had an impact upon drug use: parental absence, discipline, scapegoating, hypocritical morality, parent-child communication gap, parental divorce, mother-father conflicts, family breakup, and the use of "psychological crutches" to cope with stress. In addition, data were collected on the closest family member to the drug-taking subject, the subject's perception of the most powerful family member, the family member who used "psychological crutches," and situations where the most powerful person in the family used "psychological crutches." A paired analysis between drug users and drug abusers yielded significant differences on the use of two "psychological crutches" to cope with stressful situations: drugs and denial. Drug users were less likely to come from families where there was a communication gap and more likely to come from families which used democratic disciplinary techniques. Drug abusers came from families where there was a communication gap and either laissez faire or authoritarian discipline. Drug abusers also came from families where the person whom they defined as most powerful tended to use "psychological crutches" to cope with stress.