O Bernini

Psychological Well-Being, Negative Affectivity, and Functional Impairment in Fibromyalgia

among undergraduate students (18.7%) and their relatives (81.2%). The latter were recruited by the ‘snowball’ technique. Participation was voluntary, anonymous, and unpaid. Cases and controls did not significantly differ in employment or marital status. A significantly higher rate of controls completed at least high-school if compared to cases ( 2 = 14.177, p ! 0.05). The local ethical committee approved the study. All the participants provided written informed consent, completed a form collecting socio-demographic information and the scales below. Psychological well-being was measured by the 18-item version of the PWB [8, 11] , a self-administered inventory measuring 6 constructs: (1) Autonomy: independence and self-determination; (2) Environmental Mastery: ability to manage one’s life; (3) Personal Growth: being open to new experiences; (4) Positive Relations with others: having satisfying relationships; (5) Purpose in Life: believing that one’s life is meaningful; (6) Self-Acceptance: having a positive attitude towards oneself and past life. Negative affectivity was measured via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [18–20] , a 14-item self-administered rating scale counting 2 subscales (i.e. depression, anxiety). Functional impairment was assesses by the Daily Living and Functioning Skills subscale of the Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale [21–24] . Item 4 of the EQ-5D was used to measure perceived intensity of pain [25, 26] . Controlling for educational level, cases showed significantly higher scores on depression, functional impairment, and pain than controls. Results from the stepwise regression analyses ( table 1 ) indicated that Purpose in Life and Positive Relationships significantly predicted functional impairment in FM, beyond several potential confounds (see footnote in table 1 ). Disability, in turn, as well as anxiety, predicted depression, and Self-Acceptance predicted anxiety. Interestingly, a different pattern of predictors was found among controls. While Autonomy predicted functional impairment, both Environmental Mastery and Purpose in Life predicted depression. Unfortunately, results from this study cannot be compared with previous research [17, 27] since the available studies included patients with a different diagnosis [27] , did not control for negative affectivity [17] or for socio-demographic variables [27] , or did not explore significant predictors of disability [27] . Taken together, findings from this study are consistent with psychological research suggesting that goal-engagement and environmental mastery play a major role in determining psychological adjustment in general population samples [28–30] . However, our findings suggest that in FM patients other psychological processes and/or relationships among the variables here considered seem to come into play. In particular, 3 PWB processes appear to be related to depression in FM females, but all these relationships seem mediated by disability and anxiety. Thus, having a sense of directedness and intentionality as well as warm and Fibromyalgia (FM) is a stress-related functional somatic syndrome consisting of musculoskeletal pain and tenderness, and additional symptoms such as fatigue and difficulty concentrating [1] . Susceptibility to FM seems based on a genetic predisposition interacting with unfavorable environmental and developmental factors, leading to further sensitization of the stress response system. Factors such as ill-being, often assessed as negative affectivity, may follow, increasing the risk of unhealthy and dysfunctional lifestyles [2–6] . Psychological factors able to buffer the stress, and hence to reduce disability and negative affectivity in FM are, however, not clear enough. In this regard, research on eudaimonic well-being can provide interesting developments. The term ‘eudaimonic’ roots in Aristotle’s philosophy, and identifies well-being in the actualization of human potentials and virtue. It is opposed to hedonic well-being based on the pursuit of pleasure and happiness [7–9] . In Ryff ’s approach, eudaimonic well-being, measured via the Scales of Psychological Well-Being (PWB) [10] , posits on the extent to which people feel they are in control of their lives, feel that what they do is meaningful, and have good relationships with others [7, 10] . Although the literature suggests that PWB may buffer the effect of stress in chronic illness [11–16] , to our knowledge only Schleicher et al. [17] studied PWB in FM. They found lower PWB in FM than in rheumatoid arthritis or in healthy subjects, and observed that a lower PWB was associated with higher disability and fatigue, and with a smaller social network in FM. However, since Schleicher et al. [17] did not measure negative affectivity, at least 2 main related issues remain unclear, and constitute the aims of this study: (1) whether PWB predicts not only disability but also negative affectivity, and (2) whether the association of PWB with disability remains when ill-being and other potential confounds are controlled. Cases were 48 FM females consecutively presenting at the Pain Treatment Centre or at the Rheumatological Clinic of the Santa Chiara Hospital (Pisa, Italy) over a 9-month period. Mean duration of pain was 71.8 months (SD = 88.4 months). Controls were 48 women matched for age with cases (mean 44.25 8 10.01 years for cases; mean 45.27 8 9.89 years for controls), and recruited Received: July 30, 2010 Accepted after revision: October 12, 2010 Published online: May 4, 2011

The psychometric properties of the chronic pain acceptance questionnaire in Italian patients with chronic pain

The Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) measures acceptance of pain. Besides previous promising results on the contribution of pain acceptance to physical and psychosocial pain adjustment, recent findings have raised doubts on the validity of the scale. This study explores the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the CPAQ. A total of 120 patients with chronic pain completed the CPAQ and measures of depression, anxiety, pain-related anxiety, functional status, and perceived health status. Internal consistency was satisfactory, and factorial analyses yielded a 2-factor solution, but each CPAQ dimension showed a different contribution to the criterion variables.

Are Multidimensional Pain Inventory Coping Strategy Profiles Associated with Long-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation Effectiveness?

Introduction It is acknowledged that the way patients cope with pain may influence treatment outcome. In particular, psychological factors are deemed important when considering patients for suitability for spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Objective The aim of the study is to observe how pre-implantation psychological characteristics impact the effectiveness of SCS for chronic pain. Methods The analysis comprised data from 137 patients who underwent an SCS implant. Screening evaluation included a coping strategies profile (Multidimensional Pain Inventory) and psychiatric disorders (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview). Based on SCS implant outcome collected during follow-up visits, patients were divided into three groups: subjects with long-term pain relief (long-term group), subjects who failed the SCS treatment and decided to explant trial device (trial explanter group [TE]), and those who chose a permanent device (permanent explanter group [PE]). Results Results showed that most of the patients who failed with the SCS (TE and PE groups) demonstrated a dysfunctional coping profile and showed a higher presence of psychiatric disorders, which significantly influenced the experience and perception of pain. Conclusions The findings of this study support the value of a multidisciplinary screening. Addressing psychological issues before SCS implantation can reduce the failure rate of SCS.

On the contribution of psychological flexibility to predict adjustment to breast cancer

BACKGROUND This study explored the contribution of Psychological Flexibility (PF) to predict adjustment to breast cancer. METHOD Sixty-four females with breast cancer completed self-report measures of PF and adjustment (anxiety, depression, negative and positive affect) at baseline, and forty-two patients returned for assessment six months later. RESULTS Higher flexibility at baseline significantly contributed to predict lower anxiety, depression and negative affect at follow-up. The effect sizes ranged from moderate to large. CONCLUSIONS Results provide evidence for targeting PF to prevent enhanced psychological distress in patients with breast cancer, and add to a growing body of research supporting PF as a common protective factor across different contexts and populations.

Criterion Validity of the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research in Patients with Morbid Obesity

controls (80.6%), if compared to the cases (56.4%), had at least high-school education (χ 2 = 24.525, p < 0.001). Participants underwent the Structured Interview for DCPR [7] and completed the 54-item version of the PWB questionnaire [8] . Current ICD-10 mental disorders were also explored in obese patients by means of a structured interview [9] . The percentage of subjects with at least one DCPR diagnosis was similar across the groups (cases: 92%; controls: 89%). Health Anxiety and Demoralization occurred, respectively, in 21 and 23% of the patients, while they did not occur among the controls (χ 2 = 9.441, p < 0.002). Illness Denial (cases: 80%; controls: 72%) and Alexithymia (33% in both groups) were also frequently but similarly represented in the two groups. The remaining diagnostic clusters were poorly and similarly represented in both groups. A total of 13 patients (33%) fulfilled the DCPR criteria for one diagnosis, 13 (33%) for two, and 10 (26%) for three or more DCPR diagnoses. Patients with more than two DCPR diagnoses were younger (27.6 ± 6.1 years) than those in the other subgroups (one DCPR diagnosis: 40.7 ± 12.9 years; two DCPR diagnoses: 38.8 ± 11.7 years; F = 4.490, p < 0.01). The groups did not differ with regard to the remaining sociodemographic characteristics. The patients yielded lower scores than the controls in several PWB dimensions. The patients with more than two DCPR diagnoses showed lower Autonomy and Self-Acceptance than those with one or two DCPR diagnoses ( table 1 ). Three (7.7%) patients received neither a DCPR nor an ICD-10 diagnosis. A total of 14 (35.9%) patients had one ICD-10 diagnosis. The most frequent ICD-10 diagnoses were Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder (15.4%), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (5.1%) and Borderline Personality Disorder (5.1%). Only 1 patient (2.6%) met the criteria for Binge Eating Disorder. All patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis also met the criteria for at least one DCPR diagnosis. The percentage of patients presenting with an ICD-10 disorder was similar across the DCPR subgroups (4 patients in the twoDCPR group and 5 patients each in the other DCPR groups; χ 2 = 2.730, p = 0.435). Interestingly, 22 patients (56.4%) had at least one DCPR diagnosis even though they had no ICD-10 mental disorder. The main DCPR diagnoses in these patients were Illness Denial (51.3%), Alexithymia (15.4%), Health Anxiety and Demoralization (12.8% each). This is the first study identifying specific DCPR syndromes which could affect obesity: Health Anxiety and Demoralization were more frequent in the obese patients than in the controls. Our findings suggest that the experience of morbid obesity may trigger feelings of hopelessness and health-related concerns, which, in turn, may hamper efforts to manage excess weight. Illness Denial and Alexithymia emerged as the most frequent diagnoses and occurred in a similar percentage in both groups. The results suggest that these syndromes are not specifically linked to obesity and that they also deserve attention in general population The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) consist of 12 clusters representing different abnormal illness behaviour and psychosocial factors with prognostic and therapeutic implications in medical settings [1] . The presence of a DCPR diagnosis is related to higher levels of distress, a high prevalence of allostatic overload syndrome [2] , greater impairment of mental health, lower psychological well-being (PWB) and quality of life, and a more serious disease condition [3] . Furthermore, a higher number of DCPR diagnoses are associated with a lower quality of life and PWB in dermatological and cancer conditions [4, 5] . This is the first study exploring the relationships of DCPR diagnoses with PWB and ICD-10 mental disorders in patients with morbid obesity. Obesity is a major worldwide health concern, given the substantial health and economic burden associated with excess weight [6] . The DCPR could enhance the decision-making process aimed at managing obesity by providing important clinical information that DSM or ICD-10 does not capture [1] . We predicted that DCPR diagnoses would be more frequent in obese patients than in normal weight controls and that the former would show lower levels of PWB. We also expected that the DCPR diagnoses would be independent of the ICD-10 mental disorders in obese patients and that a higher number of DCPR syndromes would be related to lower PWB. The cases were 39 outpatients (29 females; age: 35.8 ± 11.8 years) with morbid obesity (BMI: 45.7 ± 10.3; weight: 127 ± 28.5 kg) consecutively referred to the Community Mental Health Centre in the area of Malaga (Spain) for psychological assessment over a 12-month period before bariatric surgery. The controls were 36 normal weight subjects (25 females; age: 30.7 ± 10.4 years; BMI: 23.3 ± 3.2; weight: 64.8 ± 12.5 kg) recruited from students at the University of Malaga and from the general population via the ‘snowball’ technique. The groups did not significantly differ in respect of gender or employment status (cases: 46.2% employed; controls: 60% employed). The controls were significantly younger than the patients (t = –1.957, p < 0.05). A higher percentage of the Received: February 10, 2013 Accepted after revision: June 9, 2013 Published online: September 26, 2013

P01-122 - Experiential avoidance in subjects with social anxiety

Objectives Experiential Avoidance (EA) has been conceptualised as one of the main vulnerability processes for psychopathology, including social anxiety, in the so-called ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) model - one of the “new wave” behavioral-cognitive approaches. EA refers to the degree to which an individual fuses with thoughts, avoids negative feelings, and is unable to act in the presence of difficult private events. This study is aimed at exploring the role of EA in subjects with social anxiety. Methods Participants were 113 subjects recruited from the general population and with high levels of social anxiety as measured by means of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Participants were classified into high and low experiential avoiders according to results from the Italian version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire. Results The two groups did not differ in gender, marital status, educational level, or age distributions. Between-groups differences on several psychological measures, including depression, general psychopathology, quality of life and well-being were explored. Results indicated that individuals with social anxiety reporting higher levels of EA showed higher levels of depression and psychopathology, and lower levels of quality of life and well-being than low-EA participants. Conclusions Consistent with theoretical predictions in the ACT model, these findings suggest that EA may play a significant role in moderating negative psychological outcomes in subjects with social anxiety.

Contents Vol. 82, 2013

R. Balon, Detroit, Mich. A. Barbosa, Lisboa P. Bech, Hillerød M. Biondi, Roma M. Bouvard, Chambery G. Chouinard, Montréal, Qué. P.M.G. Emmelkamp, Amsterdam S. Fassino, Torino M. Fava, Boston, Mass. H.J. Freyberger, Greifswald/Stralsund S. Grandi, Bologna J.I. Hudson, Belmont, Mass. I.M. Marks, London M.W. Otto, Boston, Mass. E.S. Paykel, Cambridge P. Porcelli, Castellana Grotte C. Rafanelli, Bologna C.D. Ryff , Madison, Wisc. U. Schnyder, Zürich J. Scott, Newcastle T. Sensky, London T. Th eorell, Stockholm E. Vieta, Barcelona T. Wise, Falls Church, Va. J.H. Wright, Louisville, Ky. R. Zachariae, Aarhus Offi cial Journal of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine (ICPM) Offi cial Journal of the International Federation for Psychotherapy (IFP)

The predictive validity of positive and negative affectivity in patients with cancer

Introduction: the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and cancer has sparked a lot of interest in the scientific community. The available literature is mostly on the impact of cancer diagnosis. However, little is known about the patients psychological status before that. Studies in this area show that cancer patients often present depressive symptoms before the diagnosis of neoplastic disease, probably due to cytokine production by the tumors. Low concentrations of cytokines would be sufficient to change the patient’s emotional state. Case description: to alert clinicians to the possibility that psychiatric symptoms may be a signal of underlying cancer disease, especially in patients above 50 years without psychiatric history, we present the following case. A woman of 53 years, followed in the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Coimbra since October 2009 for mixed adenocarcinoma of the lung (stage IB). Approximately 1 month later, in November 2009, she was referred to psychiatric consultation because of depressive symptoms and complains since 1 year before. She also reported history of thyroid goiter, emphysema, and depressive episode occurred 10 years begore. Since the cancer was diagnosed, depression has shown a fluctuating evolution. Various therapeutic settings were made, being currently medicated with venlafaxine 225 mg, trazodone 150 mg AC i.d., and lorazepam 2.5 mg i.d.. Comment: the emergence of psychiatric symptoms, especially in patients above 50 years, should alert the physician to the presence of a possible hidden cancer, especially in the case of patients without psychiatric history.Introduction: Stress has been hypothesized to be involved in obesity development. Apart from a direct pathway through cortisol, stress may indirectly facilitate obesity by influencing other lifestyle factors: stressed persons may consume more comfort foods, may have a more sedentary behaviour and may suffer from sleep problems. Methods: In 326 Belgian children (5-12y) of the ChiBS study, the longitudinal relation between stress and body composition was examined over two years. Stress was measured by salivary cortisol (4 samples/day, 2 days) and questionnaires concerning negative life events, problem behaviour and emotions. For body composition, BMI, waist-to-height and fat% estimation by air displacement were used. Furthermore, physical activity, screentime, food consumption, eating behaviour and sleep duration were measured as lifestyle factors. Cross-lagged analyses with Mplus and moderation by cortisol and lifestyle factors were tested. Results: Children with higher stress scores had a less healthy lifestyle. They had an unhealthier diet especially due to more sweet food consumption, performed more emotional eating, were less active and slept less. Two years later, these stressed children maintained the same unhealthy life style except that they were more physical active instead of less. Salivary cortisol and lifestyle were moderators in the stress-obesity relation: stressed children had also more overweight or a higher fat percentage, but only when they had an unhealthier lifestyle or higher cortisol. Discussion: These results confirm that stress can deteriorate lifestyle and cortisol homeostasis already in childhood and that these changes make them vulnerable to overweight. Consequently, obesity prevention should target both lifestyle and stress.

Italian version of the Parental Attitudes Scales (PAD): preliminary results of the validation study

Background: Many psycho-oncology studies use posttraumatic growth (PTG) measures designed for general trauma experiences, and as such they may not take into account life changes associated with a health-related context. Method: Study 1, a thematic analysis of written narratives (N = 209), emphasised cancer survivors’ newfound compassion. Study 2, with 504 prostate cancer survivors, measured the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory including five additional items derived from Study 1 to represent increased compassion. Findings: A Principal Components Analysis revealed a six-component structure after deleting eight items. Components related to compassion, new possibilities, relating to others, personal strength, appreciation of life, and spiritual change. Compassion accounted for 48.9% of variance, with the overall model accounting for 79.9% of variance. Strong factorability, internal consistency, and convergent validity were demonstrated. Discussion: The salience of newfound compassion after cancer was demonstrated. This research has important implications for accurately assessing the post-diagnosis trajectory of adjustment after cancer.Special Issue: Abstracts supplement: “Well-being, quality of life and caregiving” : 27th Conference of the European health psychology society, Bordeaux, France, 16th – 20th July 2013Background: Self-affirmation (i.e., focusing on a valued aspect of the self-concept) can promote health behaviour change. This study aimed to see if self-affirmation increased physical activity (PA) regardless of threat level presented in health messages. Methods: Sixty-eight participants were randomly allocated to condition in a 2 (self-affirmation, no affirmation) x 2 (high threat, low threat) between-participants design. Participants completed the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire at baseline and one week later to assess PA. Findings: A two-way ANCOVA with affirmation condition and threat level as predictor variables, controlling for baseline PA, was performed on follow up PA. Baseline PA was a significant predictor (F(1,63) = 399.63, p<0.001) and the main effect of affirmation condition approached significance (F(1,63) = 3.55, p=0.06). There were no other significant effects. Discussion: This study provides further evidence that self-affirmation can increase PA, but found no interaction between self-affirmation and threat level presented in health messages.Background: Contemporary alcohol research suggests that implicit attitudes are important predictors of drinking behaviour and there is growing interest surrounding factors influencing them. Research suggests that evaluative conditioning (EC) influences implicit attitudes and at a population level the most obvious and prolific use of EC is advertising. Methods: Participants (n= 51, mean age= 22.43) completed alcohol- and chocolate-related Implicit Association Tests (IAT) before viewing an advertisement for either chocolate or beer. Participants then completed post-test IATs before being provided with chocolate and beer products and asked to consume as much as they wanted. Findings: Viewing a beer advertisement produced a significant positive shift in alcohol-related implicit attitudes from pre- to post-test. No other significant effects on implicit attitudes or behaviour were found. Discussion: Alcohol advertisements are effective in changing alcohol-related implicit attitudes; however the influence on behaviour requires further investigation. Implications for the manipulation of alcohol-related implicit attitudes are discussed.Background: Recent research has highlighted the importance of automatic processes in predicting impulsive health risk behaviour. This has led to the creation of health behaviour models such as the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) which take into account dual processes when predicting health behaviour. The current research argues that individuals are more likely to engage in impulsive drinking behaviour on a weekend as opposed to a weekday as there are fewer constraints placed upon drinking behaviour. Methods: Participants (n= 61, mean age= 22) completed an alcohol Implicit Association Test as well as a questionnaire assessing variables on the PWM and drinking behaviour. Findings: More positive alcohol-related automatic cognitions were significantly related to increased levels of both frequency and quantity of self-reported weekend drinking behaviour but were not significantly related to weekday drinking behaviour. Discussion: Automatic processes successfully predicted drinking behaviour when there were fewer constraints placed upon individuals.Background: The Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) suggests that there are two separate antecedents to behaviour: intention and willingness. Whereas intention is suggested to be rational and deliberative, willingness is more automatic and impulsive. The current study used a cross-cultural sample in order to examine the differing predictive power of the PWM for drinking behaviour. Methods: A sample of 193 individuals from Australia (n=108) and Singapore (n=85) completed a questionnaire measuring alcohol consumption and variables on the PWM. Findings: Willingness to drink significantly predicted alcohol consumption in Singaporeans. Both willingness and intention to drink significantly predicted frequency of alcohol consumption Discussion: The antecedents of the PWM differentially predict alcohol consumption in culturally different samples. Implications for health interventions aimed to reduce drinking across cultures are discussed.Background. Parenting has been associated with child weight status. This study aims to evaluate the effects on parenting skills and BMI-SDS of the BBOFT+ overweight prevention program, compared to care-as-usual (CAU). Method. In a cluster-randomized trial, 2500 parents participated. Parent-reported weight and length were used. Parenting was measured with subscales control and reinforcement of the parenting strategies for eating and activity scale (PEAS) and the warmth subscale from the Child Rearing Questionnaire. Results. The first univariate analyses show that at age 15 months, no statistically significant differences in BMI- SDS, parental control, reinforcement or warmth were found between the BBOFT+ and the CAU group. Further cluster analyses need to be conducted. Results from age 36 months will be presented during the conference, which will include all subscales of the PEAS and an assessment of parenting styles. Conclusion. The intervention does not seem to have an effect on BMI-SDS or parenting.Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

The effectiveness of an ACT-based intervention to manage distress and promote positive affectivity

Background: Many psycho-oncology studies use posttraumatic growth (PTG) measures designed for general trauma experiences, and as such they may not take into account life changes associated with a health-related context. Method: Study 1, a thematic analysis of written narratives (N = 209), emphasised cancer survivors’ newfound compassion. Study 2, with 504 prostate cancer survivors, measured the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory including five additional items derived from Study 1 to represent increased compassion. Findings: A Principal Components Analysis revealed a six-component structure after deleting eight items. Components related to compassion, new possibilities, relating to others, personal strength, appreciation of life, and spiritual change. Compassion accounted for 48.9% of variance, with the overall model accounting for 79.9% of variance. Strong factorability, internal consistency, and convergent validity were demonstrated. Discussion: The salience of newfound compassion after cancer was demonstrated. This research has important implications for accurately assessing the post-diagnosis trajectory of adjustment after cancer.Special Issue: Abstracts supplement: “Well-being, quality of life and caregiving” : 27th Conference of the European health psychology society, Bordeaux, France, 16th – 20th July 2013Background: Self-affirmation (i.e., focusing on a valued aspect of the self-concept) can promote health behaviour change. This study aimed to see if self-affirmation increased physical activity (PA) regardless of threat level presented in health messages. Methods: Sixty-eight participants were randomly allocated to condition in a 2 (self-affirmation, no affirmation) x 2 (high threat, low threat) between-participants design. Participants completed the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire at baseline and one week later to assess PA. Findings: A two-way ANCOVA with affirmation condition and threat level as predictor variables, controlling for baseline PA, was performed on follow up PA. Baseline PA was a significant predictor (F(1,63) = 399.63, p<0.001) and the main effect of affirmation condition approached significance (F(1,63) = 3.55, p=0.06). There were no other significant effects. Discussion: This study provides further evidence that self-affirmation can increase PA, but found no interaction between self-affirmation and threat level presented in health messages.Background: Contemporary alcohol research suggests that implicit attitudes are important predictors of drinking behaviour and there is growing interest surrounding factors influencing them. Research suggests that evaluative conditioning (EC) influences implicit attitudes and at a population level the most obvious and prolific use of EC is advertising. Methods: Participants (n= 51, mean age= 22.43) completed alcohol- and chocolate-related Implicit Association Tests (IAT) before viewing an advertisement for either chocolate or beer. Participants then completed post-test IATs before being provided with chocolate and beer products and asked to consume as much as they wanted. Findings: Viewing a beer advertisement produced a significant positive shift in alcohol-related implicit attitudes from pre- to post-test. No other significant effects on implicit attitudes or behaviour were found. Discussion: Alcohol advertisements are effective in changing alcohol-related implicit attitudes; however the influence on behaviour requires further investigation. Implications for the manipulation of alcohol-related implicit attitudes are discussed.Background: Recent research has highlighted the importance of automatic processes in predicting impulsive health risk behaviour. This has led to the creation of health behaviour models such as the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) which take into account dual processes when predicting health behaviour. The current research argues that individuals are more likely to engage in impulsive drinking behaviour on a weekend as opposed to a weekday as there are fewer constraints placed upon drinking behaviour. Methods: Participants (n= 61, mean age= 22) completed an alcohol Implicit Association Test as well as a questionnaire assessing variables on the PWM and drinking behaviour. Findings: More positive alcohol-related automatic cognitions were significantly related to increased levels of both frequency and quantity of self-reported weekend drinking behaviour but were not significantly related to weekday drinking behaviour. Discussion: Automatic processes successfully predicted drinking behaviour when there were fewer constraints placed upon individuals.Background: The Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) suggests that there are two separate antecedents to behaviour: intention and willingness. Whereas intention is suggested to be rational and deliberative, willingness is more automatic and impulsive. The current study used a cross-cultural sample in order to examine the differing predictive power of the PWM for drinking behaviour. Methods: A sample of 193 individuals from Australia (n=108) and Singapore (n=85) completed a questionnaire measuring alcohol consumption and variables on the PWM. Findings: Willingness to drink significantly predicted alcohol consumption in Singaporeans. Both willingness and intention to drink significantly predicted frequency of alcohol consumption Discussion: The antecedents of the PWM differentially predict alcohol consumption in culturally different samples. Implications for health interventions aimed to reduce drinking across cultures are discussed.Background. Parenting has been associated with child weight status. This study aims to evaluate the effects on parenting skills and BMI-SDS of the BBOFT+ overweight prevention program, compared to care-as-usual (CAU). Method. In a cluster-randomized trial, 2500 parents participated. Parent-reported weight and length were used. Parenting was measured with subscales control and reinforcement of the parenting strategies for eating and activity scale (PEAS) and the warmth subscale from the Child Rearing Questionnaire. Results. The first univariate analyses show that at age 15 months, no statistically significant differences in BMI- SDS, parental control, reinforcement or warmth were found between the BBOFT+ and the CAU group. Further cluster analyses need to be conducted. Results from age 36 months will be presented during the conference, which will include all subscales of the PEAS and an assessment of parenting styles. Conclusion. The intervention does not seem to have an effect on BMI-SDS or parenting.Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.