I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS: THE BUFFERING EFFECTS OF UNIT-LEVEL MODERATORS ON THE COMBAT EXPOSURE-MENTAL HEALTH RELATIONSHIP

Combat exposure has been linked to various negative outcomes, both physical (e.g., severed limbs, decreased health behaviors, mild traumatic brain injury) and mental (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, anxiety, substance abuse). Additionally, the military is limited in the ways in which it can protect service members from experiencing negative outcomes of war. The present study examined how the unit-level variables of perceived organizational support, job self-efficacy, and unit morale moderate the relationship between combat exposure and (a) depression and (b) anxiety within the framework of the Soldier Adaptation Model. Soldiers who had previously deployed to Iraq for 15 months were surveyed at two time points (4 months and 10 months following return from deployment). The hypothesized cross-level buffering effects of unit-level perceived organizational support, job self-efficacy, and unit morale were not supported in the current study. However, significant relationships were found with the Time 1 data. A within-level buffering effect of perceived organizational support on the relationship between combat exposure and (a) depression and (b) anxiety outcomes was observed. Additionally, a contextual main effect of unit-level perceived organizational support, job self-efficacy, and unit morale was found such that soldiers in units higher in each variable reported fewer (a) depression and (b) anxiety symptoms. Implications and limitations of the current study are discussed

THE IMPACT OF CO-WORKERS ON SAFETY OUTCOMES: COMPARING MODELS OF MEDIATION, MODERATION, AND INCREMENTAL EFFECTS

The current study examined the role of co-worker support for safety within the broader context of perceived safety climate predicting safety behavior and outcomes for the mobile worker population of team truck drivers. Namely, the mediation, moderation, and incremental direct effects of co-worker support for safety were tested. The current study examined 366 team truck drivers from a single trucking company. Results indicated that co-worker support for safety did not moderate the relationship between safety climate perceptions and behavior and injury outcomes. However, co-worker support for safety did partially mediate the relationship between safety climate perceptions and safety behavior. Additionally, the model testing the 4-path mediation from organization-level safety climate perceptions ⇒ supervisor-level safety climate perceptions ⇒ co-worker support for safety ⇒ employee safety behavior ⇒ crash outcomes was significant. In a test of the incremental effects of co-worker support for safety, co-worker support was found to explain an additional 7% of the variance in safety behavior beyond the predictors of organization- and supervisor-level safety climate. Finally, tests of safety behavior and crashes between solo and team truck drivers were not significant. However, comparisons of the predicted outcomes at different levels of support did show differences between the two groups, although not always in the expected direction. Overall, the results show that co-worker support for safety is an important component in predicting employee safety outcomes. Future safety interventions may find usefulness in assessing and strengthening not only safety climate at the organization and supervisor level, but also the safety supportive behaviors of employees themselves

A Revision of the Octocoral Genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Xeniidae)

The family Xeniidae (Octocorallia) constitutes an abundant benthic component on many Indo-West Pacific coral reefs and is ecologically important in the Red Sea. The genus Ovabunda Alderslade, 2001 was recently established to accommodate previous Xenia species with sclerites comprised of a mass of minute corpuscle-shaped microscleres. The aim of the present study was to examine type material of Xenia species in order to verify their generic affiliation. We present here a comprehensive account of the genus Ovabunda, using scanning electron microscopy to depict sclerite microstructure. We assign three Xenia species to the genus: O. ainex comb. n., O. gohari comb. n., and O. crenata comb. n.; and synonymize several other species of Ovabunda. We provide a key to Ovabunda species and conclude that they are mainly confined to the Red Sea, with some occurrence in the West Indian Ocean

Stakeholder and parent co-production within an NHS-tailored evidence synthesis of breastfeeding support in the UK:the Action4Breastfeeding project

BackgroundCo-production in research enhances the quality and relevance of research findings. Stakeholder engagement was integral to the Action4Breastfeeding project. Our approach to stakeholder and parent involvement was ‘active involvement’ (Pollock et al 2018) throughout the process of evidence synthesis including planning, production and dissemination.MethodsEngagement was achieved through a stakeholder working group and a parents’ panel, supplemented by focus group discussions with women from groups least likely to breastfeed. All four UK countries were represented. The stakeholder working group included members of third sector organisations, policymakers, NHS practitioners, and commissioners. The parents’ panel included women who had breastfed a child within the last three years and fathers. Focus group participants were recruited by a peer support organisation working with disadvantaged families. The three groups met separately four times during the study. Co-production activities included: a) discussing priorities for breastfeeding support, b) agreeing criteria to assess transferability of effective interventions from global evidence to the UK setting; c) identifying barriers to implementing breastfeeding support in NHS settings, and d) developing and prioritising strategies to overcome the identified barriers. The online meetings were supplemented with a modified Delphi survey. Focus groups were held online and in-person. Members of the stakeholder working group and parents panel attended in-person workshops held around the UK as the final stage of the project. A project extension for women with multiple long-term conditions mirrored this work.Results/findingsPractical elements of engaging stakeholders and parents in co-creation within an evidence synthesis will be presented, including achieving trust, confidentiality, and good working relations, valuing contributions and maintaining engagement. Examples of diversity and differing priorities within the various stages of the evidence synthesis will be provided. Ways of managing these to produce an NHS-tailored implementation and evaluation strategy framework will be discussed. We plan to continue engagement beyond the funded project to ensure effective knowledge mobilisation (Grindall et al 2022)ConclusionCo-creation was essential to this evidence synthesis and whilst not always easy to achieve, resulted in rich discussions and diverse priorities that will contribute to the development of cost-effective breastfeeding support interventions in the UK

Factors that influence women’s engagement with breastfeeding support:a qualitative evidence synthesis

Breastfeeding is an integral part of early childhood interventions as it can prevent serious childhood and maternal illnesses. For breastfeeding support programmes to be effective, a better understanding of contextual factors that influence women's engagement and satisfaction with these programmes is needed. The aim of this synthesis is to suggest strategies to increase the level of satisfaction with support programmes and to better match the expectations and needs of women. We systematically searched for studies that used qualitative methods for data collection and analysis and that focused on women's experiences and perceptions regarding breastfeeding support programmes. We applied a maximum variation purposive sampling strategy and used thematic analysis. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies using a modified version of the CASP tool and assessed our confidence in the findings using the GRADE‐CERQual approach. We included 51 studies of which we sampled 22 for in‐depth analysis. Our sampled studies described the experiences of women with formal breastfeeding support by health care professionals in a hospital setting and informal support as for instance from community support groups. Our findings illustrate that the current models of breastfeeding support are dependent on a variety of contextual factors encouraging and supporting women to initiate and continue breastfeeding. They further highlight the relevance of providing different forms of support based on socio‐cultural norms and personal backgrounds of women, especially if the support is one‐on‐one. Feeding decisions of women are situated within a woman's personal situation and may require diverse forms of support