Coping with human immunodeficiency virus: Do optimists fare better?

Individuals who test positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) face a difficult adjustment task. It was hypothesized that those who were more optimistic would cope more effectively and experience less distress. Both general and health-specific measures of coping were used. Optimism and distraction were negatively related to state anxiety, whereas emotional preoccupation was positively related to state anxiety. Optimism was not a predictor of depression. Rather, distraction was negatively related to depression, whereas palliative coping, emotional preoccupation, and the interaction of palliative coping and optimism were positively related to depression. The mediation of optimism by coping variables indicated that emotion-oriented coping was a negative mediator of optimism on both state anxiety and depression. Distraction (which includes some social diversion content) was a mediator of the impact of optimism on depression.     

Coping with human immunodeficiency virus: Do optimists fare better?

Individuals who test positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) face a difficult adjustment task. It was hypothesized that those who were more optimistic would cope more effectively and experience less distress. Both general and health-specific measures of coping were used. Optimism and distraction were negatively related to state anxiety, whereas emotional preoccupation was positively related to state anxiety. Optimism was not a predictor of depression. Rather, distraction was negatively related to depression, whereas palliative coping, emotional preoccupation, and the interaction of palliative coping and optimism were positively related to depression. The mediation of optimism by coping variables indicated that emotion-oriented coping was a negative mediator of optimism on both state anxiety and depression. Distraction (which includes some social diversion content) was a mediator of the impact of optimism on depression.     

Association between substance use disorders and self- and other-directed aggression: An integrated model approach

Our study's objective is to determine whether substance use disorders’ association with aggression differs according to the type of substance and/or the form of aggression, within the same population. We used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health across 2008–2014, with a pooled sample of 270,227 adult respondents. We used regression models to estimate the odds ratios for those having alcohol and/or drug use disorder(s) perpetrating (a) each form of aggression compared with no aggression and (b) other-directed compared with self-directed aggression. Alcohol use disorder alone and drug use disorder(s) alone were both associated with significantly increased odds of committing self-directed, other-directed, and combined aggression. Individuals with drug use disorder(s) alone were more likely to commit other-directed than self-directed aggression (adjusted odds ratio = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.04–2.05). Individuals with alcohol use disorder alone were not likely to commit one over the other (adjusted odds ratio = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.90–1.61). In conclusion, the integrated model of aggression based on the stress–diathesis model is a relevant framework to study risk factors for aggression. Further research is needed to identify longitudinal predictors of directionality of aggression.     

Examining the relation between PTSD and insomnia on aggression

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and poor sleep have been identified as potential causals factor in aggression, violence, and impulsive behavior. Given the high cost of aggression to society and public health, identifying modifiable factors related to aggression, such as insomnia, may guide treatment strategies to help decrease aggression. Participants were 143 Veterans seeking treatment for PTSD at a VA outpatient PTSD clinic. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relation between PTSD and insomnia on aggression. Results from bivariate analyses indicated that while both PTSD and insomnia severity were associated with higher aggression scores independently, when PTSD and insomnia were examined together, PTSD severity was the only significant predictor of aggression. Interaction effects yielded nonsignificant results suggesting that poor sleep did not moderate the PTSD and aggression relation. Results suggest that addressing PTSD symptoms as a first treatment target may be more important for decreasing risk for aggression than targeting insomnia. More research is needed to understand whether treating PTSD and insomnia reduces aggression in Veterans.