Psychiatric symptoms and cognitive appraisal following the near sinking of a research submarine.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the stress reactions of a submarine crew forced to abandon their vessel in high seas after flooding and fire damaged their ship. METHODS: The remaining crew members (n = 22) were surveyed 7 months after the incident regarding exposures, initial emotional responses, peritraumatic dissociation, subsequent life events, current safety appraisal, and current symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. RESULTS: At 7 months, 9.1% met criteria for PTSD and none met criteria for depression. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with previous traumatic exposures, subsequent life events, and higher levels of PTSD symptoms; higher levels of PTSD symptoms were associated with greater peritraumatic dissociation and initial emotional response. CONCLUSION: Acute exposures of highly trained professionals to potentially fatal events may not result in high levels of posttraumatic symptoms. Previous and subsequent life events may play a more significant role in the level of postdisaster symptoms.

Diffuse electrical injury: a study of 89 subjects reporting long-term symptomatology that is remote to the theoretical current pathway.

Historically, tissue damage from electrical contact was thought to arise from resistive heating of tissues along the current pathway. The modern view has accepted that tissue damage can result from cellular rupture (electroporation) induced by the presence of an electric field. There remain electrical injuries that defy explanation by either theory. In rare electrical contacts, diffuse symptomatology arises that is neither proportionate to the electrical contact nor does it occur along the theoretical linear pathway of the current from entry point to exit point. Disproportionate, remote electrical injury is most notable when the contact voltage is low (120 and 240 V). Symptoms occur, absent diagnostic evidence, that defy explanation as organic injury. A Web-based interactive survey was used to locate and query individuals suffering from rarely occurring responses to electrical contact. The results of the study suggest that there is a common symptomatology that is neither linked to voltage nor loss of consciousness at the time of contact.

Assessment of personality and crew interaction skills in successful naval aviators.

PURPOSE: We were interested in studying a full range of successful aviators to discern which personality factors were present and whether these factors correlate with age, rank, and accumulated flight time. METHOD: The Armstrong Laboratory Aviator Personality Survey (ALAPS) was administered to 312 designated naval aviators and flight officers from a variety of aircraft communities. The sample included O-3/O-4 elite aviators who were selected for their squadron billets based on superior performance, O-5/O-6 aviators selected for command positions, and 59 flag officers. RESULTS: The junior aviators scored higher on the factor associated with Dogmatism and lower on the factor associated with Team Orientation and Socialness. This pattern was reversed for the flag officers, while O-5/O-6 aviators received intermediate scores on each of these factors. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates a correlation between specific ALAPS factors and experience, rank, age, and flight time. The combination of high Dogmatism, low Team Orientation, and low Socialness in junior aviators could suggest lower openness to crew input and increased risk for mishaps.