Screening for smokeless tobacco use and presence of oral lesions in major league baseball athletes.

The historically disproportionate use of smokeless tobacco (ST) by baseball players is well documented. Oral mucosal lesions (OML) are associated with ST use. Prevalence of ST use and OMLs was assessed among a sample of Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) athletes, while also assessing behavioral and demographic risk factors. ST-use prevalence and OML developmental risk was higher than natiornal averages. MLB policy intervention has not changed ST-use rates, and increased prevalence of ST use remains.

The association between the Kessler 10 and suicidality: a cross-sectional analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to test the psychometric properties of the Kessler 10 (K10) in a clinical setting and to investigate the utility of the K10 as a means for identifying suicidality. METHODS: One hundred forty-nine inpatients at an inpatient psychiatric hospital completed a battery of assessments during their inpatient hospital stay. Factor analysis provided information suggesting multiple factor loadings present within the K10. A series of t tests examined differences of group means between suicidal participants and a control group, whereas multiple regression models examined the correlation between the K10 and several suicide-specific assessments. MAIN RESULTS: The K10 seems to be composed of 2 primary factors (depression and anxiety) and differentiated suicidal and nonsuicidal inpatients and was associated with several measures related to suicidality. CONCLUSIONS: The observed results indicate that the K10 may be an effective screener to measure occult suicidality in a clinical setting.

A cross-sectional investigation of the suicidal spectrum: typologies of suicidality based on ambivalence about living and dying.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the validity of assigning suicidal individuals into differing typologies of suicidality based on their reported wish to live and wish to die. METHODS: One hundred five inpatients who reported suicidal ideation in the previous 48 hours completed a battery of assessments during inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. An algorithm was used to assign participants into 1 of 3 typologies of suicide: wish to live, ambivalent, or wish to die. Discriminant function analysis and group classification were used to predict group membership, followed by multiple analysis of variance and follow-up contrasts to measure between-group differences. MAIN RESULTS: Group classification resulted in 76% accuracy for predicting typology of suicidality based on scores from suicide-specific measures. Self-perceived risk of suicide and hopelessness were the strongest variables at differentiating between the 3 groups. Patients in the wish to die typology were less likely to report having never made a suicide attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Creating typologies of suicidality may prove useful to clinicians seeking to better differentiate among suicidal patients within a limited period of assessment.

A psychometric investigation of the Suicide Status Form II with a psychiatric inpatient sample.

We investigated the psychometric validity and reliability of the Suicide Status Form-II (SSF-II) developed by Jobes, Jacoby, Cimbolic, and Hustead (1997). Participants were 149 psychiatric inpatients (108 suicidal; 41 nonsuicidal) at the Mayo Clinic. Each participant completed assessment measures within 24 hours of admission and 48-72 hours later. Factor analyses of the SSF core assessment produced a robust two-factor solution reflecting chronic and acute response styles. The SSF core assessment had good to excellent convergent and criterion validity; pre-post SSF ratings also demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability. The results replicated previous research and show that the SSF-II is psychometrically sound with a high-risk suicidal inpatient sample.

The collaborative assessment and management of suicidality versus treatment as usual: a retrospective study with suicidal outpatients.

The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) is a novel clinical approach used to identify, assess, and manage suicidal outpatients (Jobes & Drozd, 2004). The results of a retrospective study evaluating the impact of CAMS versus treatment as usual (TAU) on suicidal outpatients are presented. Patients in the CAMS treatment group (n = 25) resolved their suicidality significantly more quickly than TAU patients (n = 30). CAMS was also significantly associated with decreased medical health care utilization in the 6 months after the start of suicide-related mental health treatment. These results provide promising preliminary support for the effectiveness of CAMS and a foundation for prospective research.