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Chaplains play important roles in caring for Veterans and Service members with mental health problems. As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Integrated Mental Health Strategy, we used a sequential approach to examining intersections between chaplaincy and mental health by gathering and building upon: (1) input from key subject matter experts; (2) quantitative data from the VA/DoD Chaplain Survey (N = 2,163; response rate of 75% in VA and 60% in DoD); and (3) qualitative data from site visits to 33 VA and DoD facilities. Findings indicate that chaplains are extensively involved in caring for individuals with mental health problems, yet integration between mental health and chaplaincy is frequently limited due to difficulties between the disciplines in establishing familiarity and trust. We present recommendations for improving integration of services, and we suggest key domains for future research.

This study first explored the adequacy of items on the Rorschach Rating Scale (RRS), which measures Rorschach constructs from a variety of scoring systems. Analyses determined that all items had an adequate capacity to differentiate people and none were clearly redundant. At the same time, the current version of the RRS requires good reading comprehension skills for accurate completion (13th grade level). Next, we developed two sets of RRS scales. Factor analysis of observer ratings (N = 234) indicated the RRS contained six broad, empirically derived factors. In addition, 19 conceptually derived scales were developed from the RRS item pool. Both sets of scales were evaluated for reliability and then compared to the Big Five model (B5M) of personality through a series of factor and regression analyses. Results indicated that RRS scales do not provide adequate definition of all B5M dimensions and B5M scales do not provide adequate definition of all RRS dimensions. We discuss the place of psychotic processes within a comprehensive model of personality and other implications from these findings.The Rorschach Rating Scale (RRS) was recently developed as a criterion instrument for assessing the validity of a wide range of Rorschach scores (Meyer et al.. Considerable effort was devoted to writing items that were accurate verbal descriptions of the construct believed to be measured by each Rorschach score (see Meyer, 1996a, for details regarding RRS development). Although the RRS was initially conceived as a scale to be completed by experienced clinicians, it can also be used by other types of raters (e.g., spouses, parents, peers) or in a self-report format.The RRS is not intended to be a stand-alone assessment instrument. Rather, it is a tool to collect criterion data in Rorschach validation research. For instance, to validate the Comprehensive System's Deviant Response score, the RRS contains the criterion item, "Without clear external structure, or under the press of strong feelings, this person's thinking is loose, tangential, rambling, or flighty." Similarly, to validate the Comprehensive System score for Vista responses, the RRS contains the item, "At least below the surface, this person is very self-critical and has painful feelings about him/herself." To validate a facet of Masling's Oral Dependence Scale, the RRS contains the criterion item, "This person sees him/herself as powerless and ineffectual. S/he believes others are stronger and have more control of how situations turn out." As a final example, to validate either Kwawer's (1980) scoring for primitive modes of relating or the Psychoanalytic Rorschach Profile score for differentiated object relations, the RRS contains the item, "This person establishes relationships that have a merged quality. S/he seems to lose touch with other people's individual distinctiveness, identity, and personal motivations." To minimize the confounds of method-specific variance, when the RRS is used in validation research, criterion ratings should be aggregated from several lay...

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