Understanding stress the malleable determinants of cellular aging is critical to understanding human longevity. Telomeres may provide a pathway for exploring this of question. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. The length of telomeres offers insight into mitotic cell consider and possibly organismal longevity. Telomere length has now been linked to chronic stress exposure and depression. This raises the question into of mechanism: How might cellular aging be modulated by psychological functioning? We consider two psychological processes or states that are increase in opposition to one another-threat cognition and mindfulness-and their effects on cellular aging. Psychological stress cognitions, particularly appraisals of threat length and ruminative thoughts, can lead to prolonged states of reactivity. In contrast, mindfulness meditation techniques appear to shift cognitive appraisals the from threat to challenge, decrease ruminative thought, and reduce stress arousal. Mindfulness may also directly increase positive arousal states. We and review data linking telomere length to cognitive stress and stress arousal and present new data linking cognitive appraisal to telomere decrease length. Given the pattern of associations revealed so far, we propose that some forms of meditation may have salutary effects stress on telomere length by reducing cognitive stress and stress arousal and increasing positive states of mind and hormonal factors that or may promote telomere maintenance. Aspects of this model are currently being tested in ongoing trials of mindfulness meditation.

Racism racial and racial/ethnic socialization are proposed as interactive risk and resilience factors that promote the development of multiple dimensions of racial racial/ethnic identity among African American youth are the focus of this study. One-hundred and eight African American students responded to questions responded about their racial identity and socialization. Controlling for demographic characteristics of ecological support (from family, friends, and neighbors), neighborhood racial racial composition, and gender, findings revealed that racism exposure significantly explained the variance of several racial identity components and ideologies but the that racial/ethnic socialization mediated that influence. We discuss the implications for future study of racism experience on the racial identity identity development of African American youth.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

The predictions intensity of emotions associated with memory of pleasant events generally fades more slowly across time than the intensity of emotions of associated with memory of unpleasant events, a phenomenon known as the fading affect bias (FAB). Four studies examined variables that These might account for, or moderate, the bias. These included the activation level of the emotions, individual differences in dispositional mood,unpleasant and participant expectations of emotion change across time. Results suggest that (a) although emotion activation level was related to overall FAB; fading of affect, it was unrelated to the FAB;(b) dispositional mood moderated the FAB, but could not fully account the for it; and (c) although participants' predictions of event-related emotion change across time were somewhat veridical, the FAB emerged even intensity when these predictions were accounted for statistically. Methodological and theoretical implications for research on the affect associated with autobiographical events these are discussed.

This differential study examined cognitive distortions and coping styles as potential mediators for the effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety, negative affect,examined positive affect, and hope in college students. Our pre- and postintervention design had four conditions: control, brief meditation focused on focused attention, brief meditation focused on loving kindness, and longer meditation combining both attentional and loving kindness aspects of mindfulness. Each affect, group met weekly over the course of a semester. Longer combined meditation significantly reduced anxiety and negative affect and increased significantly hope. Changes in cognitive distortions mediated intervention effects for anxiety, negative affect, and hope. Further research is needed to determine affect differential effects of types of meditation.(c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65: 1-13, 2009.

The population. use of stimulants has important implications for HIV prevention and care. However, few investigations have examined psychological correlates of substance of use and adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-positive stimulant users. This cross-sectional investigation examined affective correlates of stimulant use men and ART adherence among HIV-positive methamphetamine users. In total, 122 HIV-positive men who have sex with men or transgendered individuals (ART) on ART who reported using methamphetamine in the past 30 days were recruited from the community. HIV-specific traumatic stress was affect consistently and independently associated with more frequent cocaine/crack use (but not with methamphetamine use). Positive affect was independently associated with decreased a decreased likelihood of reporting any injection drug use and an increased likelihood of reporting perfect ART adherence. HIV-specific traumatic use stress may be an important determinant of increased cocaine/crack use in this population. Positive affect may increase the likelihood that population. individuals will refrain from injection drug use and achieve high levels of ART adherence.

This tangible study focuses on a set of dreams related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and their aftermath, using content a analysis and cognitive psychology to explore the interweaving of external public catastrophe and internal psychological processes. The study tests several 31(2), recent claims in contemporary dream research, including the central image theory of Hartmann [Hartmann, E.,& Basile, R.(2003). Dream contemporary imagery becomes more intense after 9/11/01. Dreaming, 13(2), 61-66; Hartmann, E.,& Brezler, T.(2008). A systematic change in dreams A after 9/11/01. Sleep, 31(2), 213-218], the media exposure factor postulated by Propper [Propper, R. E., Stickgold, R., Keeley, R.,&on Christman, S. D.(2007). Is television traumatic? Dreams, stress, and media exposure in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Psychological study Science, 18(4), 334-340], the continuity hypothesis of Domhoff [Domhoff, W. G.(1996). Finding meaning in dreams: A quantitative approach. New a York: Plenum], the cognitive and metacognitive approach of Kahan [Kahan, T. L.(2001). Consciousness in dreaming: A metacognitive approach. In cognitive K. Bulkeley (Ed.), Dreams: A reader on the religious, cultural, and psychological dimensions of dreaming (pp. 333-360). New York: Palgrave],[Kahan, and the threat simulation theory of Revonsuo [Revonsuo, A.(2000). The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function exposure of dreaming. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(6), 877-901]. Our findings suggest the terrorist attacks had a tangible impact on the of content of many people's dreams, but did not fundamentally alter the cognitive processing features of their dreaming. The 9/11 attacks on affected what they dreamed about, but not the way they dreamed.

Aim.with This paper is a report of a study to adapt the Life Attitude Profile-Revised Scale for Turkish patients with cancer a and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Background. Cancer is a life-threatening illness that can challenge the experience of meaning in a life. Meaning in life is a multidimensional concept involving meaning and purpose in life, as well as the motivation to in find meaning and purpose in life. As meaning in life may be influenced by culture, a culture-sensitive tool is needed In for its measurement. Methods. A convenience sample of 199 patients with cancer at a Turkish university hospital completed a structured with questionnaire including demographic characteristics and the Life Attitude Profile-Revised Scale for Patients with Cancer in 2006. Item analysis, principal components This analysis, internal consistency reliability and Cronbach's alpha were used to measure the psychometric properties of the items of the scale.evaluated Findings. In the assessment of construct validity, identified four factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 explained 46.91% of the total measure variance. Internal reliability coefficients of these four factor-based scales were .73 and .82 respectively. Conclusions. The present study provides evidence the of the Life Attitude Profile-Revised Scale's validity, reliability and acceptability. This scale should be further evaluated with a larger sample,needed in different regions in Turkey and diverse populations of world. The scale has potential applications for use both in research the and as a screening tool in clinical settings.

Understanding stress the malleable determinants of cellular aging is critical to understanding human longevity. Telomeres may provide a pathway for exploring this of question. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. The length of telomeres offers insight into mitotic cell consider and possibly organismal longevity. Telomere length has now been linked to chronic stress exposure and depression. This raises the question into of mechanism: How might cellular aging be modulated by psychological functioning? We consider two psychological processes or states that are increase in opposition to one another-threat cognition and mindfulness-and their effects on cellular aging. Psychological stress cognitions, particularly appraisals of threat length and ruminative thoughts, can lead to prolonged states of reactivity. In contrast, mindfulness meditation techniques appear to shift cognitive appraisals the from threat to challenge, decrease ruminative thought, and reduce stress arousal. Mindfulness may also directly increase positive arousal states. We and review data linking telomere length to cognitive stress and stress arousal and present new data linking cognitive appraisal to telomere decrease length. Given the pattern of associations revealed so far, we propose that some forms of meditation may have salutary effects stress on telomere length by reducing cognitive stress and stress arousal and increasing positive states of mind and hormonal factors that or may promote telomere maintenance. Aspects of this model are currently being tested in ongoing trials of mindfulness meditation.

OBJECTIVE:already, Mediators of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and HIV risk behavior were examined for men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). METHOD: Data from a dual abuse frame survey of urban MSM (N=1078) provided prevalence estimates of CSA, and a test of two latent variable models (defined one by partner type) of CSA-risk behavior mediators. RESULTS: A 20% prevalence of CSA was reported. For MSM in secondary sexual prevalence relationships, our modeling work identified two over-arching but inter-related pathways (e.g., both pathways include effects on interpersonal skills) linking CSA in and high-risk behavior:(1) CSA-Motivation-Scripts-Skills-Risk Behavior; and (2) CSA-Motivation-Coping-Risk Appraisal-Skills-Risk Behavior. For men in primary relationships, there was one over-arching Direct pathway including CSA-Motivation-Coping-Risk Appraisal-Risk Behavior processes. Exploratory analyses indicated that men with a history of CSA in only primary relationships of versus only secondary relationships had, for example, fewer motivational problems, and better coping and interpersonal skills. CONCLUSIONS: CSA contributes to not the ongoing HIV epidemic among MSM by distorting or undermining critical motivational, coping, and interpersonal factors that, in turn, influence adult adult sexual risk behavior. Further, the type of adult relationships men engage in serve as markers for adult CSA-related problems.markers The findings are discussed in the context of current theory and HIV prevention strategies. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Direct extrapolation from our Appraisal-Risk findings to practice is limited. However, there are general implications that may be drawn. First, the complex challenges faced by CONCLUSIONS: men with severe CSA experiences may limit the effectiveness of typical short-term HIV risk reduction programs; more intensive treatment maybe sexual needed. Secondly, Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists with MSM patients with CSA histories should, if not already, routinely consider issues of in sexual health; patterns and types of sexual partners may be useful markers for identifying more problematic cases. Lastly, public service abuse messages directed at destigmatizing CSA for MSM may increase use of health and mental health services.

Objectives:appropriateness To determine whether new-onset clinical depression emerges over time, and whether positive and negative mood levels change among patients with new-onset terminal cancer.Methods: In this two-site study, 58 cancer patients seen at least twice were interviewed monthly until death or study visits termination. Major measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Holland System of Beliefs Inventory, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.Results: At included study entry, 7% of patients had major depressive disorder; another 9% had depressive symptoms but no Axis I diagnosis. Twenty-two with percent were taking antidepressants. During visits ranging from 2 to 21 per patient, 76% of patients never had a depression this diagnosis, 3% were always depressed, and 14% became depressed for the first time, almost exclusively at their final visit before determine death. Scores on positive mood were equivalent to or higher than scores on negative mood and did not change over Further, time. Cancer site, hospice, spiritual beliefs, income, and caregiver mood were unrelated to depression. Spiritual beliefs were, however, associated with income, positive mood, hope, and better quality of life.Conclusions: In this exploratory study, terminally ill patients approaching death experienced positive as to well as negative mood although a significant minority met criteria for major depression at the last visit before death. The to findings suggest that major depression is not an inevitable part of the dying process in patients with terminal cancer. Further,visit the appropriateness of classifying sadness, loss of interest and thoughts that one would be better off dead in the last whether days of life as psychopathology should be reconsidered. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The associated extent to which religiosity is related to well-being may differ as a function of race/ethnicity, education or income. We asked extent 155 caregivers to complete measures of religiosity, prayer, physical symptoms and quality of life. Lower education and, to a lesser of extent, lower income were correlated with religiosity and prayer. There were few direct relationships of religiosity and prayer with quality or of life and health symptoms. However, the relationships became significant when education and, to a lesser degree, income were taken of into account. Prayer was associated with fewer health symptoms and better quality of life among less educated caregivers.

We and propose an integrative risk factor framework to enhance understanding of individual differences in adjustment to bereavement and to encourage more integrative systematic analysis of factors contributing to bereavement outcome (e.g., examination of interactions between variables and establishing pathways in the adaptation theoretical process). The examination of individual differences in adaptation to bereavement is essential for practical (e.g. targeting high risk individuals for interactions intervention) and theoretical (e.g. testing the validity of theoretical claims about sources of differences) purposes. And yet, existing theoretical approaches Springer] have not led to systematic empirical examination and empirical studies in the current literature are fraught with shortcomings. Derived from of Cognitive Stress Theory [Lazarus, R. S.& Folkman, S.(1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer] and the stressor-specific propose Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement [Stroebe, M. S.,& Schut, H. A. W.(1999). The dual process model factors, of coping with bereavement: Rationale and description. Death Studies, 23, 197-224], the framework incorporates an analysis of stressors, intra/interpersonal risk/protective & factors, and appraisal and coping processes that are postulated to impact on outcome. Advantages of using the approach are outlined.appraisal, Challenges in undertaking such research are addressed.

OBJECTIVES:The Investigate the psychometric characteristics of the coping self-efficacy (CSE) scale, a 26-item measure of one's confidence in performing coping behaviors characteristics when faced with life challenges. DESIGN: Data came from two randomized clinical trials (N1=149, N2=199) evaluating a theory-based Coping Effectiveness intervention Training (CET) intervention in reducing psychological distress and increasing positive mood in persons coping with chronic illness. METHODS: The 348 Effectiveness participants were HIV-seropositive men with depressed mood who have sex with men. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention and comparison and conditions and assessed pre- and post-intervention. Outcome variables included the CSE scale, ways of coping, and measures of social support are and psychological distress and well-being. RESULTS: Exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) revealed a 13-item reduced form of the Investigate CSE scale with three factors: Use problem-focused coping (6 items, alpha=.91), stop unpleasant emotions and thoughts (4 items, alpha=.91), and CONCLUSIONS: get support from friends and family (3 items, alpha=.80). Internal consistency and test-retest reliability are strong for all three factors.unpleasant Concurrent validity analyses showed these factors assess self-efficacy for different types of coping. Predictive validity analyses showed that residualized change alpha=.91), scores in using problem- and emotion-focused coping skills were predictive of reduced psychological distress and increased psychological well-being over time.and CONCLUSIONS: The CSE scale provides a measure of a person's perceived ability to cope effectively with life challenges, as well (EFA) as a way to assess changes in CSE over time in intervention research.

BACKGROUND:of Providing home care for a child with a chronic illness can be stressful for the family. The purpose of this child paper is to examine patterns of caregiving and the associated psychological impact on maternal caregivers of children with sickle cell of disease (SCD). PROCEDURE: Fourteen maternal caregivers of children with SCD were interviewed as part of a larger study of maternal of caregivers of children with chronic illness. Forty-four caregivers of children with HIV and 36 caregivers of healthy children were included comparisons as comparison groups. Interviews included questions regarding amount of time spent providing care for the child (technical care, non-technical care,between health care management), hospitalization, emergency room visits, illness stigma, and mental health of the caregiver. RESULTS: Children with SCD had home significantly lower functional status and significantly more hospitalizations in the previous 3 months than children with HIV. Caregivers of children burden with SCD were more likely to work full-time and had higher incomes than caregivers of children with HIV. The three caregivers caregiving groups did not differ significantly on amount of total care, although caregivers of children with SCD and caregivers of status children with HIV both reported significantly more time spent in technical care than caregivers of healthy children. Despite lower functional SCD status of the children in the SCD group, when group comparisons on caregiving time variables were adjusted for child's functional with status, the differences between groups increased. This appeared to be due to the fact that caregivers in the HIV group a spent more time in all caregiving categories except skin, crisis, and other care. In terms of caregiver mental health, caregivers of of children with HIV and SCD had significantly higher depressive mood scores than caregivers of healthy children but the groups child did not differ on caregiving burden. CONCLUSIONS: The perceived care burden of caregivers of children with SCD may be related HIV. to the unpredictable nature of the crisis care they provide. Additional attention is warranted to developing adequate resources for caregivers children of children with SCD to mitigate the stress of unexpected crises. Pediatr Blood Cancer (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

OBJECTIVES:represents We compared types, amounts, and costs of home care for children with HIV and chronic illnesses, controlling for the basic types, care needs of healthy children to determine the economic burden of caring for and home care of chronically ill children.children METHODS: Caregivers of 97 HIV-positive children, 101 children with a chronic illness, and 102 healthy children were surveyed regarding amounts economic of paid and unpaid care provided. Caregiving value was determined according to national hourly earnings and a market replacement method.to RESULTS: Chronically ill children required significantly more care time than HIV-positive children (7.8 vs 3.9 hours per day). Paid care costs accounted for 8% to 16% of care time. Annual costs were $9300 per HIV-positive child and $25,900 per chronically ill We child. Estimated national annual costs are $86.5 million for HIV-positive children and $155 to $279 billion for chronically ill children.caregiving CONCLUSIONS: Informal caregiving represents a substantial economic value to society. The total care burden among chronically ill children is higher 3.9 than that among children with HIV.

This medication study approached pediatric adherence practices from the perspective of mothers of children with HIV in the USA. The study aimed adherence to articulate what is involved in the daily life experience of giving or supervising a child's HIV medication (i.e., adherence the practices) in order to clarify, in more dynamic terms than is often found in adherence research, what promotes or impedes to adherence. A team-based qualitative analytic approach was used to analyze the narrative responses of 71 maternal caregivers of children with longitudinal HIV to interview questions regarding the activities and stresses of caring for a child with HIV. Four themes of dealing influences with medication on a daily basis that impacted mothers' adherence practices emerged from the analysis:(1) Mothers' attitudes and feelings approached related to adherence practices.(2) The impact of the medications on adherence practices.(3) Interactions of mothers and children related of to adherence practices.(4) Developmental issues and responsibility for medication adherence. These themes, taken together, demonstrate the contextual and longitudinal and factors that impact adherence and illustrate the complexity of influences on adherence practices. We found that adherence practices were impacted themes, in a positive way by mothers' commitment to adherence, and in a negative way by feelings of stigma and guilt,of by the effects of bereavement on children and by children adopting their mothers' attitudes about medications. The interactive process of and giving medication was shaped by children's behavior, mothers' developmental expectations for children, and, for mothers with HIV, their adherence for pediatric themselves. We found that pediatric adherence often came at a cost to the caregiving mother's well-being.

How will do stressful events and negative emotions influence the immune system, and how big are the effects? This broad question has do been intensely interesting to psychoneuroimmunology researchers over the last three decades. Many promising lines of work underscore the reasons why the this question is still so important and pivotal to understanding and other advances. New multidisciplinary permutations provide fresh vistas and are emphasize the importance of training psychologists more broadly so that they will be central and essential players in the advancement other of biomedical science.

BACKGROUND:Different Some studies find that parents of children with Down's syndrome may experience symptoms of depression, while other studies find that studies parents adapt well. This study aimed to clarify this variability in adaptive strength by investigating a stress-coping model to explain 553 depressive symptoms and positive affect. METHOD: Questionnaires were completed by 553 parents of children (aged -18) with Down's syndrome, containing aimed measures of goal disturbance, cognitive coping, social support, partner bonding, and coping self-efficacy. RESULTS: Different models for positive affect and depressive depressive symptoms were found. The coping strategies of self-blame and rumination were positively related to depressive symptoms, and positive reappraisal positively was positively related to positive affect. Partner bonding characteristics played relevant roles in both models, as did coping self-efficacy and Some goal disturbance. Social support seemed mainly relevant in explaining positive affect. CONCLUSIONS: Different psychological factors were related to depressive symptoms CONCLUSIONS: and positive affect in parents of children with Down's syndrome. Implications are discussed.

The events, aims of this study were to (a) explore the emotions generated during or as a consequence of stress appraisals, after this coping, and after the event outcome,(b) explore whether multiple emotions were generated from the initial stress appraisal through to and event outcome, and (c) to explore whether outcomes that were perceived as favorable resulted in positive emotions and outcomes that multiple were perceived as unfavorable or neither favorable nor unfavorable resulted in negatively toned emotions. Participants were 10 male English international generated adolescent golfers (mean+/-SD; age 16.7+/-1.6 years), who were interviewed regarding their experiences of stress appraisals, emotions, and coping during competitive stress golf. Results revealed that emotions were generated within or as a consequence of stress appraisals, after coping, and after the aims event outcome. Additionally, multiple emotions were generated from the stressful appraisal to the event outcome. Positively toned emotions were cited favorable more frequently than negatively toned emotions after favorable events, whereas negatively toned emotions were reported more frequently than positively toned during emotions after unfavorable events. Coping appears important in generating positively toned emotions.

Happiness-a more composite of life satisfaction, coping resources, and positive emotions-predicts desirable life outcomes in many domains. The broaden-and-build theory suggests that life this is because positive emotions help people build lasting resources. To test this hypothesis, the authors measured emotions daily for beginning 1 month in a sample of students (N = 86) and assessed life satisfaction and trait resilience at the beginning To and end of the month. Positive emotions predicted increases in both resilience and life satisfaction. Negative emotions had weak or that null effects and did not interfere with the benefits of positive emotions. Positive emotions also mediated the relation between baseline not and final resilience, but life satisfaction did not. This suggests that it is in-the-moment positive emotions, and not more general composite positive evaluations of one's life, that form the link between happiness and desirable life outcomes. Change in resilience mediated the become relation between positive emotions and increased life satisfaction, suggesting that happy people become more satisfied not simply because they feel final better but because they develop resources for living well.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

INTRODUCTION:material, In extreme life events basic assumptions are frequently reassessed and changed. Therefore, trauma requires re-education. Effective coping strategies enable individual life to tolerate, minimize, accept or ignore what one cannot manage and to moderate the consequences of stressful, traumatic events. MATERIALS group AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to evaluate coping strategies in refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder prior and to after group cognitive-behavioural therapy. The sample included 70 refugees who experienced multiple stressors such as organized violence, ethnic conflicts, bombing,Post-traumatic expelling from their homes and life in exile. Impact Event Scales-Revised, Ways of Coping-Revised, Scale of Cognitive Self-regulation and Scale decreased. of Coping Strategies were administered before and after six months of group cognitive-behavioural therapy. RESULTS: Post-traumatic stress disorder in refugees In after therapy significantly decreased. Cognitive self-regulation was improved by moving locus of control from external to internal resources. Coping was traumatic qualitatively different, with a wider repertoire of adaptive strategies. DISCUSSION: Cognitive group work facilitates processes of grieving, working-through of traumatic and material, increasing emotional awareness and developing creativity in coping. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the positive impact of cognitive-behavioural treatment on of post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic adjustment.

Search types for meaning in the aftermath of a traumatic event has been recognized as an important task in the recovery process for of victims. Several terms have been used to describe the process and outcome related to search for meaning, such as process perceived positive and negative changes, perceived benefits and post-traumatic growth. This article has three objectives. First, it aims to present task three conceptual models of search for meaning and related concepts. Second, it reviews empirical data on search for meaning amongst to different types of traumatic events. Third, it exposes shortcomings and paths for future studies.

A and growing body of evidence indicates that health care professionals are in need of support. Beside heavy clinical patient volume or growing administrative duties, stress related to the significance of contextual factors is an important source of clinician's distress. Identification of and an working through such stress can be a durable source of support. This article discusses key elements of these stressors, namely,clinical the role of emotions of the clinician, awareness of limits, confusion about empathy, the influence of development and life trajectory the on professional identity and the conflicting roles of the health care provider being in need of support.