Faculty Bibliography

Coercion theory has profoundly impacted our understanding of aggressive behavior in relationships; coercive processes are linked with numerous negative psychological and physical health outcomes. Coercion theory's influence on the aggression and violence literature is remarkable given that standard measurement requires painstaking, moment-by-moment coding of direct observation of dyadic interactions-an expensive, time-consuming endeavor. Thus, we sought to develop less costly and less cumbersome ways to measure coercive conflict. To assess the preliminary psychometrics of our resulting measurement system, we examined concurrent and convergent validity of (a) globally coded observer ratings of coercion and (b) participant-reported coercion in parent-child (n = 79) and intimate partner (n = 71) dyads. Overall, our new measures show mixed but encouraging signs of convergent and concurrent validity. Future low-cost measures may allow for the assessment of coercive conflict in mental and physical health care and expand research on this important dyadic process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:This study examined how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and military branches disseminate information about behavioral health topics, including sexual assault and harassment, mental health, resilience, substance use, suicide, and other violence-related issues, through their official media platforms and online newsletters. This is key since a significant number of military personnel experience these issues, yet available health services remain underutilized. The goal is to analyze the frequency, timing, and content of the DoD, military branches, and installations' messaging around these behavioral health topics across their digital communication channels. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:Researchers manually collected data from official social media accounts (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and online newsletters of the DoD, military branches, and installations from January to November 2021. Data was coded for behavioral health topics, content types, and evidence-based interventions. Engagement metrics were also analyzed for social media posts. The Institutional Review Board of New York University approved the study protocol. RESULTS:The study found notable variations in how frequently different behavioral health topics were addressed across the DoD, military branches, and installations, with sexual assault and harassment, mental health, and suicide prevention being the most prevalent. Messaging often aligned with designated awareness months. The most common content shared about the included behavioral health topics focused on providing information and details about available services, although fewer posts addressed military culture, policies, or program/initiative effectiveness. Social media engagement was highest for mental health, sexual assault and harassment, and suicide-related topics. CONCLUSIONS:The findings suggest a lack of coordination and standardization in the military's digital health communication strategies, which can lead to ineffective and undesired outcomes. This study has also identified missed opportunities in military digital communications to leverage evidence-based best practices. Recommendations include developing a cohesive, systematic framework to guide consistent, effective messaging across branches and platforms to better reach and engage the military population on critical behavioral health issues. Although the study provides valuable insights, limitations include its manual data collection process, single-year timeframe, and focus on only three social media platforms. Future studies should expand the scope by including other social media platforms with distinct user demographics and engagement patterns, as well as extended timeframes, to better understand the full landscape of military digital health communication.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Hazardous alcohol use in the military exceeds that of the general population and is associated with a host of negative personal, health, social, emotional, and occupational consequences. Prevention is a cost-effective way to reduce problematic drinking. Despite numerous reviews and meta-analyses synthesizing the literature on prevention programs targeting civilians, there is a dearth of such resources specifically targeting active duty service members and other military personnel. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize existing evidence-based prevention programs that have documented success in reducing the onset of alcohol problems in young adults, emphasizing programs that may be implementable in the U.S. military. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:We identified alcohol prevention programs through two methods: we conducted (1) a meta-review of evidence-based prevention programs in clearinghouses and (2) a systematic review of alcohol-prevention evaluations in military settings. RESULTS:Integrated results review 6 prevention programs that were identified as a good fit based on inclusion criteria (i.e., universal or selective prevention, administrable to individuals or small groups) with sufficient support for effectiveness. All included programs demonstrate research supporting their application in either active duty or veteran populations. CONCLUSIONS:This review adds to the literature by synthesizing the current evidence-based prevention programs targeting the onset of alcohol problems, with an emphasis on those programs that have strong potential for successful implementation among military populations. Specific recommendations and considerations for implementation are provided.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Although an open-group model is often used in substance use treatment, there are no evidence-based open-group treatment protocols. A large federal substance treatment agency (the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment Program within the Department of the Air Force) requested an evidence-informed open-group treatment protocol to treat alcohol misuse to implement throughout their clinics. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:The research team: (a) compiled and reviewed manuals for empirically supported closed groups, general literature, and best practices; (b) developed an overarching and unifying framework; (c) drafted preliminary pilot materials; (d) implemented and refined groups with providers via ongoing feedback; and (e) evaluated feasibility and usability of, and participant engagement in, the program. Providers gave detailed weekly feedback in meetings on program content and process. RESULTS:The feedback was positive in both phases. With the addition of new installations, program content and delivery continued to be perceived as useful in meeting patient and provider needs. CONCLUSIONS:Effective delivery of an evidence-based open-group treatment can be achieved with basic training of providers in the protocol.

BACKGROUND:The authors aimed to measure dental fear prevalence via the first national census-matched US adult sample and, among fearful people, interest in evidence-based digital fear treatment (ie, computerized, mobile application, and telehealth approaches) or reasons for declining. METHODS:A cross-sectional census-matched online survey (n = 1,003) was conducted (October 31-November 11, 2024) ensuring representation of US adult demographic characteristics. Dental fear was assessed using the validated Gatchel single-item scale (from 0 [no fear] through 10 [extreme fear]). People with moderate through severe fear were asked about their interest in digital treatment and, if they refused, about their reasons for declining. RESULTS:The prevalence was 72.6% (95% CI, 70.9% to 74.3%), with 45.8% reporting moderate fear and 26.8% reporting severe fear. Among fearful people, 71.2% (95% CI, 69.4% to 73.0%) were interested in digital treatment. Those who declined indicated skepticism about effectiveness (31.8%), satisfaction with their coping strategies (23.4%), and time concerns (22.3%). CONCLUSIONS:Dental fear remains widespread in the United States, suggesting little progress in prevalence reduction. The high interest in digital treatment indicates demand for accessible interventions. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS:Brief digital dental fear treatments offer potential for widespread dissemination. Public health messaging must address skepticism about treatment effectiveness and value among the fearful patients not yet interested (≈ 30%).

Child welfare caseloads are frequently higher than optimal, leading to provider burnout and turnover. This study aims to identify which case, provider, and organizational factors differentiate providers with higher versus lower burnout and leave intentions. Participants were 26 Family Advocacy Program providers and 17 supervisors at 11 U.S. Department of the Air Force installations who provided data for seven months. We used linear mixed-effects model tree algorithms to determine the factors that distinguish favorable and unfavorable outcomes. The model predicting burnout yielded three significant partitioning variables: (a) number of cases on the high risk for violence and child sexual maltreatment response team lists, (b) command support, and (c) years since licensure. The model predicting leave intentions yielded five significant partitioning variables: (a) client challenge, (b) number of cases, (c) ease of reaching commanders of on-base tenant units, (d) percentage of clients receiving substance abuse treatment services, and (e) command support. This study is a first step toward developing dynamic caseload management tools.

The need for standardized criteria in partner and child maltreatment response systems is critical for providing fair decisions, allocating family support, producing reliable research findings, and aiding prevention efforts, among other tasks. The primary goal of this study was to replicate Heyman and Slep's (see record 2009-23534-017) study-whether maltreatment incident determination committee decisions of local sites matched those of master reviewers. This study extended the prior work by testing if specific training techniques (i.e., social worker self-assessments, motivation-enhanced briefs, per-case feedback) increased the master reviewer-site concordance of the Field-Tested Assessment, Intervention-Planning, and Response (FAIR) system. Overall agreement between the master reviewers and the committees was 87%, indicating good agreement but falling just below the 91%-92% achieved in earlier FAIR dissemination studies. Sites were randomly assigned to one of eight training conditions using a multiphase optimization strategy design. The full factorial model was not statistically significant, indicating that the training techniques were not associated with committees' voting fidelity. The replicated agreement findings indicate that the FAIR system can be implemented successfully on a large scale and produce consistently good agreement on family maltreatment case decisions. Areas for future research are discussed (e.g., testing and usage of evidence-informed training techniques). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).