Deployed service members may return with clinically significant problems, the most notable of which is depression. Delivering resilience training and fostering altruistic acceptance may protect service members from developing mental health disorders.

HIV control and avoidance of IDU may be useful in reducing rates of MRSA SSTIs among HIV-infected persons.

The efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is dependent upon moderately high levels of adherence; however, predicting adherence before HAART initiation can be difficult. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study among 350 HIV-infected adults attending a HIV clinic in San Diego, CA (USA) from January 2010 to December 2011 to examine both established and novel predictors of adherence, including religious practices and beliefs. Statistically significant (p < .05) variables identified in bivariate analyses were included in multivariate analyses predicting ≥90% adherence. Higher annual household income (p = .004) and religious affiliation (p = .031) were predictive of greater adherence. Participants who said their beliefs gave meaning to their lives, made them feel they had a connection with a higher being, were influential during their recovery, and helped them feel connected to humanity were more likely to be ≥90% adherent (p < .015). Conversely, participants who believed God created all things in the universe; that God will not turn his back on them; and those who regularly attended religious services, participated in religious rituals, and prayed and meditated to get in touch with God were less likely to be ≥90% adherent (p ≤ .025). Results indicate that a patient's religious beliefs and practices may predict medication adherence. Interventions should be designed to emphasize the use of positive religious coping strategies and address the adverse implications of religious fatalism.

US enlisted Marines have experienced a substantial increase in suicide rates. We sought to identify risk factors for suicide completions among male Marines who entered basic training in San Diego, California, between June 2001 and October 2010. Suicides that occurred during active-duty military service were counted from June 1, 2001, through June 30, 2012. A total of 108,930 male Marines (66,286 deployers and 42,644 never deployed) were followed for 467,857 person-years of active-duty service time. Of the 790 deaths, 123 (15.6%) were suicides. In the final multivariate hazard model, preservice characteristics of not being a high-school graduate (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28, 3.68) and being a smoker at the time of enlistment (HR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.32, 2.76) were significantly associated with a higher risk for suicide completion. Diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (HR = 4.09, 95% CI: 2.08, 8.05), diagnosed with depression (HR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.22, 4.58), and received relationship counseling (HR = 3.71, 95% CI: 1.44, 9.54) during military service were significant risks for suicide death. Deployment alone was not significantly associated with a risk for suicide death (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.26, 1.05).