A significant proportion of people entering the military are discharged within the first 6 months of enlistment. Mental health related problems are often cited as the cause of discharge. This study evaluated the utility of stress inoculation training in helping reduce the attrition of a sample of Air Force trainees at risk for discharge from basic military training. Participants were 178 trainees referred for a psychological evaluation from basic training. Participants were randomly assigned to a 2-session stress management group or a usual-care control condition. Compared with past studies that used less rigorous methodology, this study did not find that exposure to stress management information increased the probability of graduating basic military training. Results are discussed in terms of possible reasons for the lack of treatment effects and directions for future research. The Department of Defense must annually recruit approximately 200,000 young adults for the activeduty armed forces to sustain the United States' ability to effectively pursue national security interests, A number of trends are evident suggesting that meeting this requirement has become more difficult in the 1990s. The proportion of young men and women who express an intention to serve on active duty in one of the military services has declined across the past decade (Cohen, 1998). The percentage of military recruits who score in the top half of the Armed Forces Qualification Test has dropped from 86% in 1990 to 79% in 1997 (McGinty, 1998). In recent testimony to Congress, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the strong economy in the United States is draining the military of its most talented workforce ("Joint Chiefs," 1998). Studies conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office in the last 2 years have focused attention on the high attrition rate of young people who do choose to enlist in the military (Scarborough, 1998; U.S. General Accounting Office, 1997). Results showed that approximately one third are discharged before completing their first tour of duty. These observations underscore the considerable

Availability of clinically valid and reliable tools to help assess anxiety in this patient population could enhance patient outcomes. Recognizing and incorporating significant others' assessment of patient anxiety is important data to be considered in the planning and delivery of patient care.

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