Theoretical and Experimental Psychology. 2026. 1.

Background. Medical and social challenges caused by the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are associated not only with the growing number of infected people but also with the need to find effective psychological support for adaptation to a new diagnosis, as HIV infection is considered a significant stressor. Understanding how HIV-infected women cope with stress, and whether this is related to their meaning-in-life orientations, is important for improving their quality of life and adapting to challenging life situations. It is also necessary to identify which meaning-in-life orientations promote proactive coping behavior and enhance adaptation to the diagnosis.

Objectives. The study had its purpose to examine the relationship between the meaning-in-life orientations and coping strategies in women with different HIV status.

Study Participants. The study involved 85 respondents (Mage = 31; SD = 7.87; 100% female), including 42 HIV-positive women and 43 HIV-negative women.

Methods. The study was conducted by means of D.A. Leontiev's Test of Meaning-In-Life Orientations and E. Greenglass, R. Schwarzer, and S. Taubert's Proactive Coping Inventory. The data processing included comparative and correlation analyses using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.

Results. Significant differences were found between women diagnosed with and without HIV on the following scales of meaning-in-life orientations: "Locus of Control — Life" (p ≤ 0.01) and "Process" (p ≤ 0.05). HIV-infected women tend to use coping strategies associated with low internal meaning in life, high dependence on external resources, and insufficient internal resilience. Women without HIV demonstrate higher levels of proactive coping and strategic planning, which are associated with the presence of goals, resources, and a sense of control over life. A comparative correlation analysis of the two groups revealed that in HIV-infected women meaning-in-life orientations are more closely associated with various coping strategies than in women without HIV.

Conclusions. The self-reported meaning-in-life orientations and coping behaviors of HIV-infected women are linked to and focused on their current challenging life situation. Their dissatisfaction with life and lack of confidence in their ability to manage it prevent them from accumulating resources to cope with difficult life situations and indicate maladjustment. The findings are relevant for the development of psychological support programs for HIV-infected women that can improve their quality of life and social adaptation.

Background. Deviant behavior in children is a complex problem requiring a comprehensive approach to treatment, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although specific assessment of neuropsychological predictors of deviance is rarely performed in modern clinical practice and targeted interventions are not developed, examining deviant behavior in children in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders and developing strategies for mediated neuropsychological correction appear to be a promising approach to treating behavioral disorders. Dance movement therapy (DMT) is considered a potentially effective method for improving the emotional state and behavioral regulation of this category of children.

Objective. The study had its purpose to evaluate the effectiveness of DMT in children with deviant behavior from dysfunctional families using neuropsychological analysis.

Study Participants. The study involved 34 children from disadvantaged families, aged 7 to 9 years (M = 8,5 years), who were randomly assigned to 2 groups: the main group — 16 children and the control group — 18 children.

Methods. Before and after the 12-week course of DMT, the neuropsychological diagnostics were performed in the main and control groups: assessment of dynamic, spatial-kinesthetic, visual praxis, auditory-motor reactions using the method of T.V. Akhutina; assessment of impulsivity, physical and verbal aggression, tendency to hasty actions without sufficient consideration of the consequences on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale for Children (BIS-C). Statistical processing of the obtained data was performed by means of IBM SPSS Statistics 27.01 program using the nonparametric Wilcoxon test and the Mann — Whitney criterion, with the selected level of statistical significance p < 0.05.

Results. When comparing the diagnostic results before and after the DMT course, statistically significant differences were obtained in all the research parameters in the main group (dynamic praxis — 2.06 versus 5.43 points, p = 0.0003; spatial-kinesthetic praxis — 11 versus 14.13 points, p = 0.0003; auditory-motor reactions — 3.94 versus 6.5 points, p = 0.0004; visual praxis — 5.9 versus 8.8 points, p = 0.006). The average score on the BIS-C scale before DMT was 78.5 points, after — 125.6 points (p = 0.02). The results of the primary diagnostics in both groups were statistically comparable, while the control assessment demonstrated a reliable improvement of the indicators in the main group compared to the control one.

Conclusions. Improvement of dynamic, spatial-kinesthetic, and visual praxis as well as the auditory-motor reactions after the DMT course indicates the development of children's abilities for planning, organizing movements, coordination, and information perception. An increase in scores on the BIS-C scale may indicate a decrease in impulsivity and improved behavioral control, which is consistent with the data on the positive impact of DMT on emotional regulation of children.

Background. In modern clinical and perinatal psychology, there is a growing need to revise maternal trends in the clinical aspect from the perspective of minimizing risk factors for health disorders in the younger generation and improving the demographic situation in the country.

Objectives. To review empirical and theoretical research reflecting the formation of modern trends in motherhood and to analyze the associated possible risks of disruption of a woman's reproductive health and the development of a maladaptive psychoemotional state related to the birth of a child with a disease.

Research methods. The theoretical analysis was conducted using a systematic review of the scientific literature of domestic and international studies covering the period from 2008 to 2025.

Results. This article presents a theoretical review of publications devoted to contemporary trends in motherhood, encompassing the terms "delayed (postponed)" motherhood, "conscious" motherhood, "intensive/extensive" motherhood, and "burdened" motherhood. The author provides definitions of the subjective phenomena of "burdened" motherhood and "intensive" motherhood. Attention is focused on the ambivalence of the consequences of "conscious" motherhood and the potential risks of impaired reproductive potential, the development of neurotic conditions, and emotional burnout in mothers when developing reproductive attitudes toward "delayed" and "intensive" motherhood.

Conclusions. The study of reproductive attitudes and styles of modern motherhood at different stages of the maternal sphere ontogenesis is substantiated as promising, since it allows for identifying the risk factors for mental and physical health in the reproductive-age population, as well as to prevent negative demographic consequences.

Background. In the last decade, new types of psychoactive substances have appeared in illicit trafficking, including synthetic psychostimulants. Due to changes in the drug market, both the formation and course of disorders associated with the use of psychoactive substances are changing. Consequently, there is a need to review existing rehabilitation programs and evaluate their effectiveness for the users of new psychoactive substances. Among the tools that influence the rehabilitation potential of drug addicts, a special attention is paid to the psychotherapeutic direction based on attachment theory, as its positive results have been already shown in foreign studies.

Objectives. The theoretical review had its purpose to synthesize, structure and evaluate the existing works devoted to the rehabilitation potential and application of attachment theory in the practice of psychiatric and drug rehabilitation.

Methods. A theoretical review of domestic and foreign scientific literature on the topic under consideration. PubMed and eLIBRARY resources were used to search for information.

Results. The currently existing concepts of rehabilitation potential are considered. The study provides an analysis of existing works describing the relationship between the success of the rehabilitation process and the type of attachment.

Conclusions. Research has found that attachment disorders in childhood can provoke manifestations of dependent behavior. Foreign authors, based on evidence of the effectiveness of attachment-based therapy, propose it as a tool for drug rehabilitation. The basic provisions and principles of such therapy can be used in domestic practice. However, to develop recommendations and rehabilitation programs, additional research on samples of Russian patients is required.

Background. Currently, there is a growing number of diagnosed mental disorders worldwide. The specialist conducting the diagnosis works under time constraints as determined by regulations per patient. Given the variability of symptoms presented in various mental disorders, as well as their potential comorbidity, establishing a diagnosis on the ground of patient-reported complaints is problematic.

Objective. To analyze the challenges of differential diagnosis of mental disorders (on examples of affective disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia) based on the primarily available affective symptoms.

Methods. Searching for publications in databases (PubMed, eLIBRARY, Google Scholar) was conducted using the keywords "differential diagnosis", "comorbidity", "affective symptoms", and "symptom specificity". A theoretical review and analysis of the literature on the role and significance of affective symptoms in the differential diagnosis of mental disorders, their prevalence in the population, and the approaches and diagnostic tools used.

Results. The analysis of sources allowed to summarize data on the diagnosis of various mental disorders based on patient complaints and affective symptoms. Existing studies show that a significant part of complaints and affective symptoms are not specific to a particular mental disorder and cannot be classified without additional diagnostic information. The analysis highlights the value of differential diagnostics and the limitations associated with its use. Promising approaches to the diagnosis of mental disorders are discussed.

Conclusions. The complex nature of the diagnostic process requires reliance on both anamnestic data and the analysis of psychometric indicators as well as the causal relationships between them. The use of network analysis of the relationships between symptoms may have the potential to improve current diagnostic models and categories. Transdiagnostic factors associated with the manifestation of mental disorder symptoms require further research. The potential for integrating transdiagnostic approaches into modern diagnostic models appears promising; however, finding common ground between them requires further effort from the professional community.

Background. Screening diagnostics of the risk of depression in healthy controls and various mental illnesses for the purpose of timely seeking specialized help requires the elaboration of critical values of indicators as well as calculation of sensitivity and specificity.

Objectives. The study had its purpose to reveal the critical values of the scales for assessing anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia.

Study Participants. 277 individuals participated in the study, including 162 adults without mental illness (control group), 47 patients with affective disorders and depressive syndrome, and 68 patients with schizophrenia.

Methods. For data collecting the following standardized methods were used: The Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories BAI and BDI-II (Beck et al., 1988; Beck et al., 1996), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977), SCL-90R (Derogatis, 1983), the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Scale for Positive and Negative Experiences (Diener et al., 1985; Diener, 2010), the Quality of Life and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Stevanovic, 2011). Data processing methods included descriptive statistics, ROC analysis, calculation of sensitivity and specificity, assessment of reliability and consistency, methods for comparing groups, and correlation analysis.

Results. When assessing the differential abilities of anxiety and depression scales, while comparing patients with depressive syndrome in affective disorders and respondents in the control group, the area under the curve in the ROC analysis was significant and amounted to 0.79–0.87. The maximum values were found for the Beck Depression Inventory, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the depression subscale of the SCL-90R. The depression subscale of the SCL-90R questionnaire is only slightly inferior in psychodiagnostic capabilities to the Beck Depression Inventory and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; however, its cutoff values can be recommended at 11 points and 23 points. The 18 items selected from all the inventories implemented in the study form a scale that allows to distinguish between patients with depressive syndrome in schizophrenia and in affective disorders (Cronbach's alpha 0.91 for affective disorders and 0.93 — for schizophrenia). At a cutoff value of 1.59 points, the sensitivity for distinguishing patients with affective disorders and schizophrenia is 72.3%, and the specificity is 78.1%. A content analysis of the items indicates that patients with affective disorders are more likely to report negative obsessive thoughts, criticism and self-rejection, somatic complaints, and difficulty concentrating.

Conclusions. The clinical cutoff for mild depression on the Beck Depression Inventory is 13 points, and for moderate depression — 19 points. The clinical cutoff point for mild depression on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale is 17 points, and for moderate depression — 28 points.

Background. Death anxiety have a significant impact on an individual's psychological well-being. The specifics of these experiences depend on age, type of attachment, health status, and other factors. At the same time, the relationship between death-related fears and the type of attachment in children with congenital heart disease and children without cardiac pathologies has not been sufficiently studied.

Objectives. To study the role of attachment style as a factor determining the severity of fears associated with death in children with congenital heart disease and without cardiac pathologies.

Study Participants. 83 children aged 7–10 years were interviewed, 32 of them were diagnosed with Congenital heart disease (CHD) and were hospitalized (Mage = 8.63; SD = 1.129), 51 children had no cardiac pathology (Mage = 8.73; SD = 0.94).

Methods. Attachment style was assessed using a questionnaire on attachment to the mother in primary school age (E. Pupyreva). Understanding of death and death-related fears were assessed by means of "Tell a Story" (G. Makhortova) — Story No. 4 ("Death") and "Fears in Houses" (A.I. Zaharov, M.A. Panfilova) methodology. The statistical analysis was performed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson's chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, nonparametric Mann — Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation.

Results. The correlations between death-related fears and attachment style in children with and without CHD have been identified. Both groups turned to be similar in terms of attachment styles and understanding of death. For children with heart disease, there were no correlation between attachment styles and death-related fears. In healthy children, anxiety-ambivalent attachment correlated with more pronounced death-related fears, while avoidant attachment — with less intense death-related fears.

Conclusions. The experience of death-related fears in children with CHD is determined by specific factors of the disease, and not by the type of child-parent attachment.

Background. Studying the characteristics of kinesiophobia in patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) during the rehabilitation period allows to expand our understanding of the psychological factors influencing the success of the rehabilitation process. This aspect seems particularly significant due to the high prevalence of such disorders and the importance of their comprehensive restoration. A sedentary lifestyle makes its negative contribution to the increase in the number of MSDs. It is also worth noting that providing psychological support to combat veterans after injuries is currently a pressing issue in psychological practice. An important component of rehabilitation is not only physical recovery but also psychological support, as emotional state directly influences the success of rehabilitation measures.

Objectives. The study had its purpose to investigate the characteristics of kinesiophobia in men and women with MSD.

Study Participants. The study involved 30 men and 30 women (N = 60) aged 37 to 59 years (M = 45.6; SD = 11.5) after reconstructive surgeries, patients of the traumatology department of the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution "City Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.I. Pirogov".

Methods. The study implemented standardized survey methods: the Tamp Scale for measuring kinesiophobia; the Visual Analogue Pain Scale; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); the Integrative Anxiety Test by Bizuk, Wasserman, Iovlev; and the Compliance Level questionnaire by Kadyrov. Statistical data processing included comparative and correlation analysis using the Mann — Whitney test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

Results. The study yielded data on the characteristics of kinesiophobia in men and women with MSDs. No significant differences in the severity of kinesiophobia were found between the male and female groups, either for the overall score or for individual components — physical and psychological. The study revealed specific relationships between kinesiophobia and depression as well as statistically significant differences between the study groups in particular parameters of personal anxiety. Moderate pain was the predominant rating in both groups. Assessment of compliance parameters revealed that women were characterized by higher levels of emotional compliance compared to men.

Conclusions. Patients with MSDs demonstrate a number of gender-specific characteristics during rehabilitation. Thus, women exhibit a correlation between depression levels and general levels of kinesiophobia as well as its physical component. They are characterized by higher general anxiety and emotional compliance compared to men. During rehabilitation, female patients with MSDs experience increased fear of movement, heightened social anxiety and tend to be more concerned about treatment outcomes. Men during this period are characterized by an emphasis on the physical component of kinesiophobia, which is associated with situational anxiety, accompanied by asthenic symptoms, a sense of threat, and a lack of self-confidence.

Background. In the context of modern comprehensive psychological rehabilitation, habilitation, and readaptation of combat veterans, there is a high need to develop effective methods for reducing their distress and anxiety.

Objective. The study had its purpose to provide a theoretical review for substantiating the scientific and methodological principles of resocialization for combat veterans.

Methods. The study employed the method of theoretical analysis and generalization of domestic and foreign sources on the problem of resocialization for combat veterans.

Results. Meta-analytic data indicate that systematic desensitization based on virtual reality demonstrates effectiveness in reducing anxiety and distress in post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobias, offering advantages over traditional exposure therapy, including greater procedural flexibility and consideration of patient preferences. Its integration with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, biofeedback, and transcranial stimulation enhances the therapeutic effect. Public speaking training in a virtual reality environment appears prospective for promoting active resocialization by developing communication and speech skills.

Conclusions. The innovative method of cognitive-behavioral therapy by means of virtual reality exposure enables high potential for restoring the integrity of personality functioning by creating situations in which the individuals actively organize their own activity. Systematic desensitization in virtual reality, supplemented by the principle of subject's activity implemented through public speaking training, serves as an effective means of reducing distress and developing communication skills. It can be regarded as a promising direction in the resocialization of combat veterans. The conducted analysis highlights the necessity of normative regulation of resocialization as a comprehensive set of measures including systematic desensitization, social support, training and, consequently, the establishment of specialized socio-rehabilitation institutions for combat veterans.