Military Occupations: Methodological Approaches and the Military–Academy Research Nexus

Military occupations are continually evolving in relation to the geopolitical changes of societies, their conflicts and conflict management strategies, and technological developments in military hardware and software. Military occupations studies undertaken by the academy have been key to informing government strategy towards the maintenance of functioning armed forces. Since the 1950s, such studies have prioritised ‘top‐down’ quantitative sociological methodologies. This paper reviews these studies and the role of the dominant Institutional/Occupational model. The paper then considers less influential ‘bottom up’ interpretive methodological studies of military occupations. It is suggested that the reliance on ‘top down’ modelling approaches has led to the paucity of studies describing the range and experiential detail of military occupations. The Military–Academy nexus, and the priorities of the discipline of sociology are suggested as reasons for this emphasis.     

Housing experiences of former foster youth: How do they fare in comparison to other youth?

Research indicates that foster youth tend to fare poorly in a number of domains in the transition to adulthood, and the shift to independent living may be particularly challenging. However, it is unclear whether negative housing outcomes are attributable to foster care history or if they are due to other risk factors. This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to compare housing outcomes for foster youth to a matched sample of youth who share similar risk factors and to an unmatched sample. Results indicate that foster youth struggle more in the transition to independent living in comparison to both groups, showing higher rates of homelessness, less housing stability, poorer neighborhood quality, and more reliance on public housing assistance. The paper explores how factors related to foster care and confounding risk factors that tend to have higher prevalence among foster youth may contribute to these outcomes.     

The neurodevelopmental outcome in infants who have sustained a subdural haemorrhage from non‐accidental head injury

Subdural haemorrhage (SDH) in infants arises most commonly from non‐accidental head injury (NAHI) from shaking. Patients present with a varied severity of illness and a variety of symptoms and signs. Data on long‐term outcome of the survivors are not widely reported. The aim of this paper is to describe the physical and educational outcomes of children <2 years diagnosed with non‐accidental head injury and formulate guidelines on follow‐up. Data on 65 children <2 years with non‐accidental head injury and subdural haemorrhage diagnosed on CT/MRI/postmortem were extracted from the hospital and community notes and education reports. The Kings Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI) was used. Sixteen children died (24.6%), 13 within 6 weeks and three 5 years after the injury. Of the 45 children followed up (follow‐up time 21.7–103 months), 25 had a good outcome, six were moderately disabled and 11 were severely disabled, while three were in persistent vegetative state. Problems identi?ed included cerebral palsy—16, ongoing seizures—5, visual problems—11, speech and language problems—17 and behavioural problems—13. Of the 29 children of school age on whom data were available, 12 children had a statement of educational needs. In conclusion, young children who survive non‐accidental head injury can have signi?cant physical, cognitive and behavioural problems. Regular follow‐up by a multidisciplinary team, which includes a community paediatrician, therapists, school health personnel and ophthalmologic services, until the child is established in school may facilitate early identi?cation of emerging problems and optimize management. Care must be taken not to discharge children with good outcomes, as behavioural and cognitive problems can emerge with time. Only a prospective study will help outline the subtle problems that can emerge with time in children with a so‐called good outcome. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Positive Action in Minority Ethnic Employment: The Role of Scottish Housing Organizations

This paper focuses on Scottish housing organizations, where the relative absence of black and minority ethnic employees is beginning to be addressed by programmes of positive action. The paper defines positive action, discusses experiences elsewhere in Europe and the USA, and identifies issues that have arisen from such programmes. Schemes targeted at the housing profession, such as PATH in both England and Scotland, are described in some detail. The attitudes and experiences of Scottish housing organizations were examined as part of an evaluation of the Scottish PATH programme carried out in 1998, and these are discussed. The paper concludes that a reservoir of goodwill exists towards positive action programmes and that there is a need for such programmes to be extended, possibly with the support of the Scottish Parliament.     

Esketamine for depression faces real‐world barriers

Like its predecessor intravenous ketamine, an anesthetic that has been used off‐label to treat depression, esketamine has shown great promise in treating a disease that can destroy quality of life and lead to suicide. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved esketamine (Spravato) last spring for treating depression that is resistant to traditional treatments.     

LAC and RTI: Eliminate Medicaid prior auth for bupe

Since April 2018, Medicare limited utilization management — most often done via prior authorization requirements — for buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). In response, virtually all plans that covered this treatment removed prior authorization requirements. Medicaid plans should do the same, according to RTI, writing in the July 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).