Afanasieva, E. D. Sensibility to Child’s Needs in the System of Psychological Adaptation of HIV Positive Females towards Maternity

Abstract: The article describes peculiarities of psychological adaptation of HIP positive mothers. The study involved 135 mothers who had children younger than 2 years old. The main group was made up by HIV positive mothers and the control group included conventionally healthy females. The author studied emotional disturbances (integrated anxiety test, Beck’s depression scale were used as methods of the study), quality of life (SF-36 questionnaire), significant relations (incomplete-sentence test, TOBOL), parental attitudes (PARI) and particular interaction with a child (observance and psychological interview). The results of a poly-structured interview with females provide by the observance over mother-and-child interactions allowed to define the indicator of woman’s adaptation towards maternity – her sensibility to behavioral manifestations of child’s needs. It is shown that low sensibility to child’s needs is connected with other dysfunctional characteristics of the mother-and-child interaction as well as the feeling of dissatisfaction and uncertain parental attitudes. HIV positive mothers with low sensibility towards their child’s needs are characterized by emotional disturbances, low quality of life and aggravated medical and social history.

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