Coping, goal adjustment, and psychological well-being in HIV-infected men who have sex with men

The relationships between coping strategies, goal adjustment, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were studied in 104 HIV-positive men who have sex with men, in December 2006. The mean age of the respondents was 50 years, and almost were of Dutch nationality. On average people had known about their HIV-positive status for 10 years and the majority was on HIV-medication. The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, COPE, the Goal Obstruction Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were filled out at home. Pearson correlations and Hierarchical Regression Analyses were performed. The findings suggested that cognitive coping strategies had a stronger influence on well-being than the behavioral coping strategies: positive refocusing, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective, catastrophizing, and other-blame were all significantly related to symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition, withdrawing effort and commitment from unattainable goals, and reengaging in alternative meaningful goals, in case that preexisting goals can no longer be reached, seemed to be a fruitful way to cope with being HIV positive. These findings suggest that intervention programs for people with HIV should pay attention to both cognitive coping strategies and goal adjustment.

Maternal sensitivity during mealtime and free play : Differences and explanatory factors

Mealtime is a parent–toddler interaction that occurs multiple times a day. This study examined whether observed maternal sensitivity differed between a mealtime and free-play setting, aiming to explain differences between the two situations by studying moderating effects of children's eating behavior. The sample consisted of 103 first-time mothers and their 18-month-old children. Maternal sensitivity was assessed by coding videotaped interactions of free-play sessions and mealtimes, using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale (range 1–9). Additionally, child eating behavior during the meal was coded and also assessed through the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire—Toddlers. First, a small but significant amount of stability was found between sensitivity during mealtime and sensitivity during play (r = 0.24). Second, mothers were more sensitive during free play (mean = 7.11) than during mealtime (mean = 6.52). Third, observed child eating behavior was related to maternal sensitivity during mealtime, with more food enjoyment being associated with higher levels of sensitivity, and more challenging child behavior with lower levels of sensitivity. Finally, when children showed a high degree of challenging behavior during the meal, there was more discrepancy between sensitivity during mealtime and free play. Our results highlight the importance of taking context into account when observing parental sensitivity