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Introduction: Social support is considered an important factor in prevention of mental illness. However, little is known about the association between ambulance personnel's use of multiple types of social support and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). This study aims to assess if number of used social support types predicts PTSS for ambulance personnel. Apart fromassessing the main effect of social support utilization, we were interested in investigating if social support utilization moderated the effect of frequency of critical events on PTSS. Materials and methods: A total of 383 ambulance personnel completed a survey consisting of validated questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the association between frequency of traumatic exposure and utilization of social support and PTSS as outcome variable. Results: Higher number of utilized social support types was associated with higher levels of PTSS (b = 0.15, p <.001). When serving as a moderator of the association between frequency of exposure to critical incidents and PTSS, social support utilization had a significant and positive interaction effect (b = 0.26, p = .049). 307 participants had used 2 or 3 types of informal support during the past year, whereas 81 had used 2 or 3 types of formal support. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the relationship between utilization of multiple, concurrent social support types and PTSS. This study suggests that to understand the effects of social support among ambulance personnel, it is necessary to assess the utilization of multiple concurrent support types, contributing factors to social support use, and different patterns of social support utilization that constitutes professional life in ambulance work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Collaboration between clinical practice and research is often warranted. Extended periods of collaboration integrating research and practice is however rare. This article is about a series of joint research projects through the course of 8 years involving the Danish Center of Psychotraumatology and five regional centres dedicated to combating the sequelae of child abuse across Denmark. Method: We describe the development of a standardized assessment battery and how this work evolves, analyses of administrative data, what happens after the assessment, the impact of working with child abuse on employees, profiles of abuse that vary by gender, national conferences and training programs, and international collaboration. Result: The collaboration between research and practice against child abuse has been seminal and is still ongoing. We have learnt about new problem areas and have produced information that can be used to serve children, employees, and civil society in better ways. Discussion: This work is inspired by and aligns with initiatives abroad pertaining the construction of Children Centers, of assessments tools and child abuse trauma research. Conclusion: Mutual respect, dedication, and patient persistence pave the way for significant results in a committed relationship. Plain language summary: This article describes and reflect upon a year-long collaboration between a multidisciplinary clinical organization, the Danish Children Centers, and a research centre, the Danish Center of Psychotraumatology who have joined forces to provide the best help for children exposed to physical, sexual, or psychological abuse. The article describes the collaboration on developing a trauma-focused, developmentally sensitive psychological assessment battery for children of all ages. The article thereafter describes and reflects upon other projects of the collaboration that benefit both research and practice, including the establishment of data base for studying the psychological state of children exposed to abuse and related studies on child abuse; evaluations of the Children Centers practices; examinations of care and treatment for abused and traumatized children, training of staff and other interested parties; and examination and prevention of secondary traumatization among the Children Centers staff. With mutual respect for all professions, dedication, and patient persistence a professional collaboration can evolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of a two-step admissions procedure that included a cognitive ability test followed by multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) used to assess non-cognitive skills, compared to grade-based admissions relative to subsequent drop-out rates and academic achievement after one and two years of study. The participants consisted of the entire population of 422 psychology students who were admitted to the University of Southern Denmark between 2010 and 2013. The results showed significantly lower drop-out rates after the first year of study, and non-significant lower drop-out rates after the second year of study for the admission procedure that included the assessment of non-cognitive skills though the MMI and the admissions test. Furthermore, this admission procedure resulted in a significant lower risk of failing the final exam after the first and second year of study, compared to the grade-based admissions procedure. Finally, students admitted through the MMI and the admissions test scored significantly higher on academic learning self-efficacy and critical thinking compared to students selected by grades. The implications for higher education admissions are discussed.