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Moxnes and Jensen (2009) present a study of decision making under conditions of uncertainty using a computerised simulation of alcohol pharmacokinetics. In their article, they conclude that their findings challenge the 'folk wisdom' that advises against drinking on an empty stomach. We contend that this is a problematic conclusion for three reasons: (1) the study and findings presented in their paper are simply not sufficient to allow one to, even tentatively, draw such a conclusion; (2) the conclusion is contrary to basic pharmacological knowledge concerning alcohol absorption, metabolism and the implications for peak blood alcohol concentration; and (3) the implications for understanding the process of decision making while alcohol intoxicated are not considered in the study. The Moxnes and Jensen (2009) study did not involve alcohol administration and is therefore an examination of decision making in situations of uncertainty rather than a specific exploration of drinking-related decision making. Recent formulations of the effects of alcohol on cognitive processing would lead to different conclusions than those presented by Moxnes and Jensen (2009). We conclude by suggesting our understanding of the implications of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are an efficacious support for some but not all people wishing to stop using tobacco. While advice and practical support have been identified as increasing quit success, little research has explored the role of changes in smoking and EC-related social identities., Methods: A prospective study following 573 people attempting to quit smoking with EC support. Self-report measures of identification with being a smoker, non-smoker, vaper and dual user (people using ECs and tobacco products) were taken prior to the quit attempt and at a 12-week follow-up., Results: Baseline identifications with being a smoker, non-smoker or dual user were not associated with smoking outcomes. Baseline vaper identity baseline was linked to more frequent tobacco abstinence at follow-up and lower levels of cigarette smoking. Levels of social identification at follow-up were consistently linked with outcomes, with vaper identity and non-smoking identities being protective and dual user identity being related to lower abstinence rates but decreased tobacco usage. Changes in identity over time were the most consistent predictor of outcomes., Conclusions: Findings have implications for smoking cessation practice, informing how and when identity-based interventions may be effective and our understanding of how identity transitions occur., (© 2024 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)

Work has identified that metacognitive thought results in desire-based thinking and perpetuates the magnitude and severity of maladaptive behaviour including problematic social media use, and also that one's ingroup identity is related to increasing problematic behaviour. No evidence has ascertained the relative contribution of these as related differential factors in the experience of problematic social media use. The current study explored the comparative importance of components of desire thinking, positive and negative metacognitions and dimensions of ingroup identity on degree of problematic use among 147 current Instagram users. Results showed that for predicting general problematic Instagram use negative metacognitive beliefs and the verbal perseverance component of desire-based thinking were significant. Importantly, however, different factors appeared to be important for predicting distinct aspects of problematic Instagram. For compulsivity indicators, negative metacognitions and verbal perseveration were essential, whereas for the withdrawal component identity centrality (and no other dimensions of identity) and imaginal prefiguration emerge as the sole independent predictors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Harmful drinking is associated with significant negative health and social outcomes, but drinkers are reticent to recognise personal drinking problems, hindering natural recovery or help-seeking. Recent evidence suggests that social identity as a drinker is associated with various drinking-related factors but has not been examined in relation to likelihood of problem recognition. In a group of ninety-six harmful drinkers (61 females, M age = 34 years) we explored how identity components associated with ingroup self-investment and ingroup self-definition in combination with implicit identity as a drinker accounted for degrees of problem recognition. In addition to demographic information, addiction experience and drinking behaviour (AUDIT), respondents completed measures of ingroup self-investment (identity centrality, solidarity, and satisfaction), ingroup self-definition (ingroup homogeneity and self-stereotyping), a "self as drinker" identity implicit association test and problem recognition (four items from the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale). After controlling for possible covariates (age, gender and alcohol addiction experience) increased problem recognition was accounted for by explicit and not implicit identity components. More specifically, increasing perceived chronic saliency of one's drinker identity (self-investment in the drinker ingroup) and not an implicit association between the self and being a drinker was related to increased likelihood of problem recognition. This suggests that how chronically and explicitly accessible the identity of the drinker is for individuals might operate to stimulate the willingness or motivation to recognise potential drinking related harm., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Few studies have examined whether specific aspects of group identification predict problematic and non-problematic addictive behaviours and none have focused on gambling. Applying Leach et al.'s (2008) hierarchical model of in-group identification, we tested the associations between components of self-investment (satisfaction, solidarity, and centrality) and components of self-definition (individual self-stereotyping, in-group homogeneity) on distinguishing between problem and non-problem gambling (n = 10,157) and on the severity of problematic gambling behaviour (n = 2,568). Results showed that (i) in-group-based identities are important in predicting problematic vs. non-problematic gambling behaviours; (ii) in-group-based identities are important in predicting the severity of problematic gambling; (iii) how self-invested an individual is with their in-group and aspects associated with self-definition processes are both important predictors; (iv) perceptions related to how chronically salient one's group membership is for the self (centrality) are essential features of the self-investment mechanism; and (v) self-stereotypical beliefs about one's essential similarities to the prototypical gambling group member norm are fundamental for the defining oneself as a gambler., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: AM and MS have acted as advisors to GambleAware on the Bet Regret campaign. MS was a trustee of GambleAware (September 2018 - July 2021). IA, AM and BG received funding from GambleAware for the current study., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Health risk information is insufficient as a means of reducing alcohol use, particularly when it evokes negative emotional states amongst those for whom it is most personally relevant. Appraisal biases, or 'defensive processing', may be employed to mitigate the psychological discomfort posed by such information. Few studies have evaluated the role of defensive processing in people with different levels of alcohol consumption., Design: Online participants ( n  = 597) completed measures of defensive processing of a health risk infographic, perceived susceptibility and severity of alcohol use, efficacy for resisting alcohol use, unrealistic optimism, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C) and demographics., Results: AUDIT-C scores were positively and linearly associated with all defensive processing measures (Pearson's correlation r from.16 to .36), threat and susceptibility ( r = .16) and unrealistic optimism ( r = .50). AUDIT-C scores were also negatively associated with efficacy for controlling alcohol use ( r  = -0.48)., Conclusion: People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) engaged in much more defensive processing of alcohol-related messages, offering an explanation for why such messages are limited at eliciting behaviour change. High levels of unrealistic optimism in people with alcohol use disorder may reflect low problem recognition in order to maintain a problem-free drinking identity.

Previous work identified the operation of an attentional bias (AB) towards healthy food related stimuli among those with increasing tendencies towards orthorexia nervosa (ON) using a modified Stroop task. The current work aimed to replicate and extend our understanding of this effect by incorporating alternative measures of AB (i.e., the dot probe task) and ON (i.e., the Teruel Orthorexia Scale [ToS]) in a sample of self-defined vegans/vegetarians. The theoretical assertion of the ToS is the conceptual broadening of orthorexia with differentiable dimensions - one characterised as a "healthy" preoccupation with healthy food/eating patterns (HeOr) and the other by a more underlying pathology (OrNe). This study also aimed to examine the pattern of responding across these two dimensions according to factors known to predict ON. Eighty-six participants (mean age = 33.0 years; 20 males, 66 females) completed measures of obsessive compulsivity, perfectionism, state/trait anxiety and ToS as well as a dot probe designed to measure AB for healthy and unhealthy-related food stimuli, threat ratings of each of words utilized and perceived identity centrality as a vegan/vegetarianism. Results showed a dissociation of predicted determinants for "healthy" ON (HeOr) and pathological ON (OrNe). HeOr was predicted by increasing identity centrality whereas OrNe was predicted by increased OCD and perfectionism, and increased interference for healthy-related food words (in particular slowed disengagement) and not unhealthy related food words. Threat-related ratings of unhealthy food words was shown to be common across both dimensions. This pattern highlights cognitive and individual differences-based correlates of pathological and non-pathological ON., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Memory conformity may occur when a person's belief in another's memory report outweighs their belief in their own. Witnesses might be less likely to believe and therefore take on false information from intoxicated co-witnesses, due to the common belief that alcohol impairs memory performance. This paper presents an online study in which participants ( n  = 281) watched a video of a mock crime taking place outside a pub that included a witness either visibly consuming wine or a soft drink. Participants then read a statement from the witness that varied in the number of false details it contained before being asked to recall the crime. We found that the intoxicated witness was regarded as significantly less credible, but participants were not less likely to report misinformation from them. This suggests that intoxication status impacts one's perception of how credible a source is, but not one's ability to reject false suggestions from this source. Our findings reinforce the importance of minimizing co-witness discussion prior to interview, and not to assume that people automatically (correctly or not) discount information provided by intoxicated co-witnesses., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Bartlett, Gawrylowicz, Frings and Albery.)

Rationale: Witnesses who discuss a crime together may report details that they did not see themselves but heard about from their co-witness. Co-witness information may have beneficial and harmful effects on memory accuracy depending on whether the information was correct or incorrect., Objectives: Given the prevalence of intoxicated witnesses, it is imperative to understand how alcohol influences this effect., Methods: The present study asked pubgoers (n = 67) at varying levels of intoxication to recall a mock crime video after having also watched a video witness statement containing both correct and false information., Results: Increased intoxication was associated with decreased confidence, completeness and accuracy, but no increased tendency to report false information. Exposure to incorrect post-event information (PEI) can lead to the incorporation of incorrect information, whereas exposure to correct PEI increased accuracy, regardless of individuals' alcohol intoxication status., Conclusions: Thus, whilst discussion and intoxication can negatively impact eyewitness memory, discussion may also have benefits for both sober and intoxicated witnesses., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: Previous research suggests that exposure to alcohol primes (i.e., stimuli associated with alcohol) affects drinkers' perceptions and behaviors. The present study investigated the effects of an environmental alcohol prime (being in a simulated bar setting) and a safe sex message prime (a public health safe sex message) on sexually active alcohol drinkers., Method: Participants ( n = 80) were assigned to one of four conditions according to priming allocation and engaged in a simulated video chat with a potential partner. They reported their sex-related self-perceptions and perceptions of a potential partner upon procedural completion., Results: The alcohol-related environmental prime led participants to rate their potential partner as being significantly less inhibited and more sexual. The safe sex message significantly reduced reported sex-related self-perceptions and perceptions of their partners' disinhibition. There was a significant effect of primes on participants' perceptions of their partner's friendliness--participants exposed to either or both prime(s) perceived their partner as being friendlier than participants exposed to no prime., Conclusions: Results suggest that environmental alcohol primes may strengthen sexually active drinkers' perceptions of a potential partner's disinhibition and sexuality even before alcohol consumption begins, and that a safe sex message may moderate these effects. The presence of safe sex messages in alcohol-related environments may positively influence sexual risk decision making among sexually active drinkers.

Objective: Harmful drinkers represent an important Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) group in public health terms, accounting for significant health and social costs. However, harmful drinkers are characterized by low problem recognition; they tend to construct their drinking identity as positive and problem-free, actively setting themselves apart from the stigmatised 'alcoholic other'. As such, harmful drinkers rarely engage in treatment and represent an important opportunity for lower threshold interventions and self-change. The present study sought to explore AUD problem framing and stigma effects on problem recognition., Methods: Harmful drinkers without perceived addiction experience recruited online (n = 244, 54% male, 46% female, 96% British) were randomised to one of six conditions comprising beliefs about alcohol problems (control, continuum, binary disease model) and stigma (stigma, non-stigma), and completed measures relating to problem recognition., Results: As predicted, results found that harmful drinkers exposed to binary disease model beliefs and stigmatising language had significantly lower problem recognition than those in other conditions. However, no support was found for the prediction that continuum beliefs would be associated with higher problem recognition. Results suggest that the interaction of binary disease model beliefs and stigma prompted alcoholic label avoidance., Conclusion: These findings suggest that problem framing has important consequences for harmful drinkers. Implications for behaviour change amongst harmful drinkers through mechanisms of problem framing and identity are discussed., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The psychological and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are pervasive, and there is potential for a long-lasting impact on mental health. In the current study, we sought to provide, in a representative sample of UK residents during the third COVID-19 lockdown in February 2021, further evidence for the validation of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome construct. We did this by evaluating the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome against measures of personality, health anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety in predicting levels of generalized anxiety and depression and by examining whether increased health anxiety and COVID-19 psychological distress (COVID-19 anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety syndrome) scores were associated with increased attentional bias to COVID-19-related stimuli. A series of correlation analyses revealed that neuroticism, health anxiety, COVID-19 anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety syndrome scores were positively and significantly correlated with generalized anxiety and depression scores and that the perseveration component of the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome predicted generalized anxiety and depression scores independently of age, gender, conscientiousness, openness, health anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety. Furthermore, results indicated that only the total COVID-19 anxiety syndrome score and the scores on the avoidance and perseveration components were positively and significantly correlated with attentional bias indices. More specifically, the general attentional bias index was only shown to be positively and significantly correlated with the total COVID-19 anxiety syndrome score and its perseveration component, while slowed disengagement was only shown to be negatively and significantly correlated with the total COVID-19 anxiety syndrome score and its avoidance component. The implications of these findings are discussed., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Health messages on e-cigarette packs emphasise nicotine addiction or harms using similar wording to warnings on cigarette packs. These may not be appropriate for e-cigarettes which constitute a reduced risk alternative for smokers. This research aimed to (1) develop and test a selection of relative risk messages for e-cigarette products; (2) compare these to the two current EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) nicotine addiction messages; and (3) explore differences between smokers, non-smokers and dual users., Method: Twenty-six messages focusing on either harm-reduction or cessation were developed and rated by multidisciplinary experts for accuracy, persuasiveness and clarity. The eight highest ranking messages were compared alongside the TPD messages in a sample of 983 European residents (316 smokers, 327 non-smokers, 340 dual users) on understandability, believability and convincingness., Results: On all three constructs combined, the two TPD messages rated the highest, closely followed by four relative risk messages "Completely switching to e-cigarettes lowers your risk of smoking related diseases", "Use of this product is much less harmful than smoking", "Completely switching to e-cigarettes is a healthier alternative to smoking", and "This product presents substantially lower risks to health than cigarettes" which did not differ statistically from the TPD messages. Non-smokers rated TPD1 significantly higher overall than dual users. Dual users rated "This product is a safer alternative to smoking" significantly higher than non-smokers. Messages did not differ on understandability., Conclusions: These alternative messages provide a useful resource for future research and for policy makers considering updating e-cigarette product labelling., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Desire thinking (voluntary thinking involving a perseverative focusing on desired target-related memories, images, and information), is an important factor in the experience of drinking urges and cravings. Research has not examined the relationship between desire thinking, behavioural intention and the implementation of that behaviour into action, nor how one's past repeated behaviour in situ (expressed as habit) may moderate these relationships. We employed an ad libitum drinking paradigm to provide indirect measures of in-the-moment drinking behaviours (amount poured [mls] and amount consumed [mls]) in a group of eighty-eight self-defined social drinkers immediately after measuring self-reported drinking habit, drinking-related desire thinking, and general drinking behaviour. Results confirmed the predicted positive relationship between desire thinking and in-the-moment drinking behaviour with the effects increasing as a function of rising drinking habit strength. We also observed a dissociation between desire thinking components (verbal perseveration and imaginal prefiguration) in the moderating effects of habit strength on drinking behaviour. For imaginal prefiguration (thoughts related to construction of mental images of a desired target or of its context for consumption) a direct effect on drinking behaviours was shown. In comparison, the effect for verbal perseveration (repetitive self-talk regarding the need to achieve a desired target) was not shown to independently predict drinking-related behaviour but was significantly moderated by increasing drinking-related habit strength. Future work should formulate the nature of this moderating influence on perseverative goal-directed thinking., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: Co-witness discussion is common and often witnesses are under the influence of alcohol. As such, it is important to understand how such factors may influence eyewitness testimony., Objectives: We combined a co-witness memory paradigm with an alcohol administration paradigm to examine the influence of alcohol and dyadic discussion on remembering a mock crime., Methods: Intoxicated and sober dyads discussed a previously seen video, whilst in a control condition sober and intoxicated individuals recalled the event on their own. Unknown to the dyads, each discussion partner saw a different version of the video including unique details not present in the other video version. All participants then engaged in a second individual recall attempt., Results: Dyads were more likely to recall misleading details in their individual recall attempts compared to the control group. Intoxicated and sober dyads were equally likely to report misleading information. Alcohol intoxication had no negative impact on individuals' ability to correctly identify the source of their responses. Intoxicated participants recalled fewer details under free recall conditions. Alcohol had a detrimental effect on participants' confidence in their free recall accounts., Conclusions: Possible alcohol-related and social-cognitive mechanisms are discussed which may contribute to the current findings as well as applied implications for interviewing intoxicated witnesses.

Purpose: It has been argued that orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a unique type of disordered eating of food considered by the individual to be healthy. Given that in other eating disorder populations attentional preference for food-related cues influences eating behaviours, is it also likely that these biases may be a characteristic of ON tendency., Methods: Eighty healthy individuals completed the ORTO-15 questionnaire (ON tendency), a modified Stroop task containing words related to healthy and unhealthy foods and perceived hunger levels pre- and post-testing. The ORTO-15 was used to identify participants within this sample who demonstrated more or less of the characteristics of ON., Results: Results suggest that the presence of attentional bias to healthy, but not for unhealthy food-related stimuli independently predict increased ON tendency. Increased attentional bias towards healthy food-related stimuli is associated with increased scores on the ORTO-15., Conclusion: Attentional bias, as a deficit in information processing, towards healthy food-related stimuli accounts for variability in ON characteristics., Level of Evidence: Level I, experimental study.

Low problem recognition may be an important barrier to opportunities for self-change or help-seeking in harmful drinkers. Little is known about how the beliefs harmful drinkers hold about the nature and causes of alcohol problems affect problem recognition and subsequent behaviour change processes. Participants (n = 597) recruited online were randomised to one of two conditions designed to promote beliefs according to (a) a continuum model of alcohol problems or (b) a binary disease model, or (c) a control condition. Participants completed measures of alcohol problem beliefs, problem recognition and other indices including the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), addiction beliefs, addiction experience and demographics. Results showed that harmful drinkers without addiction experience exposed to the continuum condition had significantly higher problem recognition than those in binary disease model or control conditions. Continuum beliefs appear to offer self-evaluative benefits for harmful drinkers with low alcohol problem recognition, thus potentially facilitating help-seeking or self-change regarding alcohol use. Further research to understand the mechanisms by which continuum beliefs may promote more accurate drinking self-evaluation and its potential for behaviour change is warranted. The role of continuum beliefs may have important consequences for alcohol-related messaging and interventions seeking to promote self-change or help-seeking., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: A combination of behavioural and pharmacological support is judged to be the optimal approach for assisting smoking cessation. Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) is a single-session pharmacotherapy-free programme that has been in operation internationally for 38 years. We compared the effectiveness of ACE with specialist behavioural and pharmacological support delivered to the national standard in England., Design: A two-arm, parallel-group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial., Setting: London, UK, between February 2017 and May 2018., Participants: A total of 620 participants (310 in ACE and 310 in the combined behavioural and pharmacological support condition) were included in the analysis. Adult (≥ 18 years) smokers wanting to quit were randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio. Mean age for the total sample was 40.8 years, with 53.4% being male. Participant baseline characteristics (ethnicity, educational level, number of previous quit attempts, nicotine dependence) were evenly balanced between treatment groups., Intervention and Comparator: The intervention was the ACE method of stopping smoking. This centres on a 4.5-6-hour session of group-based support, alongside subsequent text messages and top-up sessions if needed. It aims to make it easy to stop smoking by convincing smokers that smoking provides no benefits for them. The comparator was a specialist stop smoking service (SSS) providing behavioural and pharmacological support in accordance with national standards., Measurements: The primary outcome was self-reported continuous abstinence for 26 weeks from the quit/quit re-set date verified by exhaled breath carbon monoxide measurement < 10 parts per million (p.p.m.). Primary analysis was by intention to treat. Secondary outcomes were: use of pharmacotherapy, adverse events and continuous abstinence up to 4 and 12 weeks., Findings: A total of 468 participants attended treatment (255 ACE versus 213 SSS, P < 0.05). Of those who did attend treatment, 100 completed 6-month measures (23.7% ACE versus 20.7% SSS). Continuous abstinence to 26 weeks was 19.4% (60 of 310) in the ACE intervention and 14.8% (46 of 310) in the SSS intervention [risk difference for ACE versus SSS 4.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) = -1.4 to 10.4%, odds ratio (OR) = 1.38)]. The Bayes factor for superiority of the ACE condition was 1.24., Conclusion: There was no clear evidence of a difference in the efficacies of the Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) and specialist smoking cessation support involving behavioural support and pharmacotherapy., (© 2020 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Individuals with clinically elevated social anxiety are especially vulnerable to alcohol-related problems, despite not drinking more than those with less anxiety. It is therefore important to identify contexts in which socially anxious persons drink more to inform intervention efforts. This study tested whether social anxiety was related to greater drinking before, during, or after a social event and whether such drinking was related to the psychosocial factors anticipatory anxiety or post-event processing (PEP; review of the social event). Among past-month drinkers, those with clinically elevated or higher social anxiety (HSA; n = 212) reported more anticipatory anxiety, more pre-event drinking to manage anxiety, and PEP than those with normative or lower social anxiety (LSA; n = 365). There was a significant indirect effect of social anxiety on pre-drinking via anticipatory anxiety. Social anxiety was related to more drinking during the event indirectly via the serial effects of anticipatory anxiety and pre-drinking. Unexpectedly, PEP did not mediate or moderate the relation between social anxiety and post-event drinking. In sum, anticipatory anxiety was related to more drinking before, during, and after a social event and HSA drinkers were especially vulnerable to drinking more to manage this anxiety, which increased drinking before and during the event. This effect was specific to anticipatory anxiety and not evident for another social anxiety-specific risk factor, PEP. Thus, anticipatory anxiety may be an important therapeutic target for drinkers generally and may be especially important among HSA drinkers., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This study investigated the effects of the European Union Tobacco Products Directive [EU-TPD] Article 20 E-cigarette (EC) health warnings ("This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. [It is not recommended for non-smokers.]") and a comparative harm message ("Use of this product is much less harmful than smoking" [COMP]) on smokers' and non-smokers' perceptions and behavioural intentions., Methods: 2495 UK residents (1283 smokers and 1212 non-smokers) self-reported perceived harm, addictiveness, EC effectiveness, social acceptability, and intentions to purchase and use EC, and in smokers, intentions to quit and intentions to use EC in future quit attempts. These were measured before and after exposure to EC images containing either the TPD, COMP, TPD + COMP or no message., Results: Non-smokers had higher harm, addictiveness and lower social acceptability perceptions. TPD presence increased, whilst COMP decreased, harm and addictiveness perceptions in both groups. For smokers only, harm perceptions were lower following exposure to COMP alone vs. no message. For non-smokers the TPD increased harm perceptions vs. no message. There were no effects on social acceptability, EC effectiveness or use intentions. In smokers only, purchase and quit intentions were higher following exposure to the COMP alone., Conclusion: TPD messages may be effective smoking prevention tools, although the COMP message was more effective in reducing harm perceptions and increasing use intentions in smokers. That COMP did not increase use intentions in non-smokers suggest that such exposures may potentially act as an effective harm reduction tool without resulting in increased uptake among non-smokers., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Research has indicated that craving is one of the strongest predictors of treatment outcome and relapse in Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) but there is little consensus on the factors that may influence its activation and escalation. Research has also shown that desire thinking is an important cognitive process which may exacerbate craving in problem drinkers. The aim of present study was to explore, for the first time, the role of desire thinking in prospectively predicting relapse, craving and binge drinking in patients receiving treatment for AUD. One hundred and thirty-five patients admitted to two rehabilitation centres and two outpatient services for addiction and mental health problems were administered baseline, treatment completion and three months follow-up measures of anxiety and depression, AUD severity, binge drinking frequency, craving and desire thinking. Results indicated that the verbal perseveration component of desire thinking at treatment completion was the only significant predictor of relapse at follow-up over and above baseline AUD severity and binge drinking frequency. Furthermore, the imaginal prefiguration component of desire thinking and craving levels at treatment completion were found to predict craving levels at follow-up independently of AUD severity and binge drinking frequency at baseline. Finally, both the imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration components of desire thinking at treatment completion were found to be the only predictors of binge drinking frequency at follow-up independently of AUD severity and binge drinking frequency at baseline. Treatments for AUD should aim to reduce desire thinking in people to enhance clinical outcomes and reduce relapse risk., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study explored the potential for e-cigarette advertisements to (1) enhance attitudes towards cigarettes and/or (2) reduce barriers to e-cigarettes uptake. The study tested whether exposure to an online electronic cigarette advertisement changed attitudes towards cigarettes and e-cigarettes in smokers, non-smokers, e-cigarette users and dual users (smokers who also use e-cigarettes)., Design: Cross-sectional study SETTING: Online survey PARTICIPANTS: Adults (n=964) aged 18 to 65 years old (M=36 years, SD=11.6) from the UK and USA. Participants were grouped into current non-smokers, e-cigarette users, dual users and smokers., Interventions: Participants viewed 1 of 15 randomly assigned online e-cigarette advertisements., Primary Measures: Three single seven-point Likert scales measuring health, desirability, social acceptability were completed pre and post advertisement exposure., Results: Post exposure all smoking groups showed a decrease or no change in how socially acceptable or desirable they rated cigarettes. Paradoxically, dual users rated cigarettes as being significantly healthier after viewing the advertisement (p=0.01) while all other smoking group ratings remained the same. There was an increase or no change in how all smoking groups perceived the healthiness and desirability of e-cigarettes CONCLUSIONS: We observed no evidence that exposure to an e-cigarette advertisement renormalises or encourages smoking in smokers, non-smokers or e-cigarette users. However, there is some indication that viewing an e-cigarette advertisement may increase duals users' perceptions of the health of smoking., Competing Interests: Competing interests: SC has provided consultancy work for the Pacific Life insurance group on smoking and reduced risk product use and prevalence rates. DF and IPA are both investigators on a randomised controlled trial funded by Allen Carrs Easyway. This trial is comparing the Allen Carr Easway stop-smoking method to local NHS 1-1 stop smoking counselling service (ISRCTN23584477)., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Social identities can facilitate positive recovery outcomes for people overcoming addiction. However, the mechanism through which such protective effects emerge are unclear. The social identity model of cessation maintenance posits that one such process may be contextualisation (the creation of meaning around relevant future events and actions which act in a protective fashion). The current paper tested the role of contextualisation by exploring the role of a common feature of addiction meetings, the sharing of a personal recovery story. Data were collected from an online sample of 170 members of Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] (mean age 45.4 years, 50% male). Participants rated their social identification with AA before reading an archetypal tale of hope. They then completed measures of contextualisation (the perceived self-relevance and utility of the tale) and measures of perceived quit efficacy and costs of relapse to self and others. Identity, relevance and utility positively related to quit efficacy and perceived cost of relapse to the self. High identification with AA was also related to higher story relevance and utility. However, no mediation relationship between identity and efficacy via story relevance or utility was observed. Perceived cost to self increased in line with identity, with an additional joint indirect mediation of social identity via both meditators. These findings provide a clear pattern of results linking identity to contextualisation (story relevance and utility) and contextualisation to outcome measures. They also support the role of contextualisation as an important component of group processes more generally., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Food craving has been shown to induce states of psychological challenge, indexed by increases in adrenaline but not cortisol production. The study aimed to test the relationship between challenge and (1) desire thinking (the active processing of the pleasant consequences of achieving a desired target and planning how to do so) and (2) craving., Methods: Participants (N = 61) self-reported their levels of craving and desire thinking. They were then presented with situations in which their craving would be fulfilled or not via a false feedback practice task (a wordsearch task). During this period psycho-physiological measures of challenge and threat were taken., Results: Higher levels of craving were linked to challenge only when the craved object was likely to be obtained. Whilst anticipating reward fulfillment, higher levels of craving were linked to higher levels of desire thinking. In turn, higher levels of desire thinking were related to lower levels of challenge. In contrast, during the processes of reward fulfillment, desire thinking was linked to increased challenge (i.e., a positive indirect effect)., Conclusions: Craving is linked to increased levels of psychological challenge when the object of the craving can be obtained, but it is unrelated to craving when it is not. The research also highlights the importance of desire thinking as an important, but complex, mediator in the relationship between craving and motivational states: desire thinking inhibited challenge when anticipating craving fulfillment, but encouraging it during the process of fulfillment itself., Level of Evidence: I: Evidence obtained from at least one properly designed randomized controlled trial.

We sought to explore the motivations for pre-partying amongst UK student drinkers who reported pre-partying at least once per month. Two distinct educational settings were included: colleges, where the majority of students are below the legal age for drinking, and university, where all students would be legally allowed to drink. A cross-sectional correlational design was adopted. Ninety-four college (16-18 years) and 138 university students (18-28 years) from the UK completed an online survey, of whom 54.7% and 86.9% reported pre-partying at least once per month, respectively. Alcohol use was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C) and pre-partying motivations were assessed using the Pre-partying Motivations Inventory (PMI). Frequency of pre-partying behavior and the number of units consumed was also recorded. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that, for college students, AUDIT-C positively predicted pre-partying frequency, while gender and AUDIT-C positively predicted the units of alcohol consumed but Barriers to Consumption (BC) negatively predicted units consumed. Among university students AUDIT-C and Interpersonal Enhancement predicted pre-partying frequency, and AUDIT-C predicted the amount of pre-partying units consumed. Different motives for pre-partying motives were identified across two distinct educational settings. The finding that BC negatively correlated with the amount of alcohol consumed amongst younger college students requires further study, as it contradicts previous work in this area, but is consistent with findings that availability predicts alcohol intake. Understanding differences in drinking behavior between age groups is a key finding, which will allow future research to track developmental influences on the effectiveness of interventions.

Objective: Alcohol use has consistently been shown to be related to sexual risk-taking behaviours. To assess what factors may contribute to the sexual risk decision-making process, this study examined the relationships among alcohol use (frequency, quantity, and binge drinking), cognitive appraisals of sexual risk taking, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and STI-protective self-efficacy., Method: 138 sexually-active university students who drink alcohol completed scales measuring alcohol consumption, appraisals of consequences, sex-related alcohol expectancies, and items regarding STI-protective self-efficacy., Results: Increasing levels of binge drinking were negatively associated with STI-protective self-efficacy. A moderated mediation analysis revealed that for binge drinkers, stronger appraisals of the positive consequences for having sexual intercourse while intoxicated predicted lower STI-protective self-efficacy indirectly through increasing rates of sex-related alcohol risk expectancies., Conclusion: Findings provide evidence of a need to target binge drinkers and increase their STI-protective self-efficacy by shifting their focus from positive consequences to negative risk consequences of engaging in sexual intercourse while intoxicated., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the current study was to test the direct and indirect influence of parents' drinking motives and problem drinking on their children's drinking motives, alcohol use and substance misuse. Cross-sectional analysis of parent and child drinking patterns and motives, derived from the nationally representative Drinkaware Monitor panel survey. The sample comprised a total of 148 couples of parents and child. Path analysis revealed that children's alcohol use and substance misuse were influenced by their own drinking motives and parents' problem drinking. Parents' conformity motives were linked to their children's conformity motives. Finally, parental drinking problems mediated the effect of their coping motives on their childrens' alcohol use and substance misuse. In conclusion, parental drinking styles relate to their children's alcohol use and substance misuse through problem drinking and drinking motives., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Labels indicating low/light versions of tobacco and foods are perceived as less harmful, which may encourage people to consume more. There is an absence of evidence concerning the impact on consumption of labeling alcohol products as lower in strength. The current study tests the hypothesis that labeling wine and beer as lower in alcohol increases their consumption., Method: Weekly wine and beer drinkers (n = 264) sampled from a representative panel of the general population of England were randomized to one of three groups to taste test drinks in a bar-laboratory varying only in the label displayed; Group 1: verbal descriptor Super Low combined with 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) for wine/1% ABV for beer; Group 2: verbal descriptor Low combined with 8% ABV for wine/3% ABV for beer; Group 3: no verbal descriptors of strength (Regular). Primary outcome was total volume (ml) of drink consumed., Results: The results supported the study hypothesis: the total amount of drink consumed increased as the label on the drink denoted successively lower alcohol strength, BLin = .71, p = .015, 95% CI [0.13, 1.30]. Group contrasts showed significant differences between those offered drinks labeled as Super Low (M = 213.77) compared with Regular (M = 176.85), B = 1.43, p = .019, 95% CI [0.24, 2.61]. There was no significant difference in amount consumed between those offered drinks labeled as Low compared with Regular., Conclusions: These results suggest that labeling drinks as lower in strength increases the amount consumed. Further studies are warranted to test for replication in non-laboratory settings and to estimate whether any effects are at a level with the potential to harm health., Trial Registration: ISRCTN15530806. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

Attachment styles have been shown to be an important predictor of relationship quality and well-being. They have also been linked with ability to function well in groups. Insecure attachment styles are thought to be an underlying cause of addiction and represent a target for change in one-to-one therapy. How attachment styles themselves affect group therapy for addiction is understudied. The current study addresses this gap by examining the effects of attachment styles on relapse and treatment retention amongst a population of people attending addiction therapy groups. Fifty-eight individuals in such groups completed measures of attachment anxiety and avoidance. Participants were followed up 4 weeks later, and their continued treatment attendance and relapse status were recorded. In terms of treatment retention, high anxiety/high avoidant participants had the highest retention. In terms of relapse, low anxiety/high avoidant participants had the lowest rates. These results are discussed in terms of the potentially protective effects of avoidant attachment styles during group therapy and the role of anxiety attachment in the continued maintenance of both protective and risky personal relationships., (Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Aims: Responsible drinking messages (RDMs) are used as a key tool to reduce alcohol-related harms. A common form of RDM is in a poster format displayed in places such as bars, bus stops and toilet cubicles. However, evidence for the effectiveness of RDMs remains limited. Moreover, it is not known how environmental contexts (e.g. the number of alcohol-related cues in the environment) impact how such RDMs are interacted with, nor how this in turn affects their efficacy., Methods: One hundred participants completed a pseudo taste preference task in either in a bar laboratory (alcohol cue rich environmental context) or a traditional laboratory. The walls of the laboratory displayed either RDM or control posters during this task and eye tracking was used to assess participant attention to the posters., Results: Participants looked at the RDM posters less in the bar laboratory where the environmental context is rich in alcohol cues compared to a traditional laboratory where alcohol cues are sparse. Neither poster type or environmental context affected the amount of 'alcohol' consumed and the amount of visual attention given to RDMs was unrelated to the amount of 'alcohol' consumed., Conclusions: These findings provide experimental evidence that RDMs do not influence drinking behaviour in the direction intended (reduced consumption in situ). In addition, locating RDMs in alcohol-cue rich environments may result in sub-optimal behavioural responses to the RDM materials (e.g. visual attention to content). To maximize the potential impact of RDMs, the optimal location for RDMs is in environments where pre-existing alcohol cues are sparse to non-existent., Short Summary: Responsible drinking messages (RDMs) aim to reduce alcohol consumption, however, the findings of this study show that they may not influence in situ consumption. These findings also suggest that the optimal location for RDMs is in environments with few or no other alcohol-related cues., (© The Author 2017. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To review the effectiveness of responsible drinking messages (RDMs)., Methods: We searched PsycINFO, MEDLINE and Google Scholar to June 2016 for studies evaluating the effectiveness of RDMs. Only eight studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Due to a small number of search results and broad inconsistency in methods and outcome measures, quantitative synthesis was not possible so a narrative summary of findings was conducted., Results: A review of findings from these articles suggested a disjointed approach in terms of the format and content of RDMs evaluated, as well as the dependent variables used to judge their effectiveness. An overall pattern emerged suggesting that RDMs may have beneficial effects across various outcome measures, including reducing prospective alcohol use. However, due to the inconsistent approach to both the development and evaluation of RDMs, it was not possible to draw any clear conclusions in terms of effectiveness, or indeed the potential size of any effects., Conclusions: A systematic approach to the development and evaluation of RDMs is recommended to ensure that a clearer evidence base is established in this area, particularly in light of the substantial public funds which are often spent on RDM campaigns., Short Summary: A systematic review of studies evaluating the effectiveness of responsible drinking message campaigns reveals an inconsistent approach to message design and evaluation. Findings of the review suggest the need for a more consistent approach to aid in the development of a clearer evidence base in this area., (© The Author 2017. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Smoking is a major cause of ill health and is associated with several diseases including cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke. Many psychological and pharmacological smoking cessation treatments are available and although they are undoubtedly the most cost-effective health interventions available, many people still fail to maintain cessation in the longer term. Recently, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence called for comparative studies to determine the short-term and long-term effectiveness of Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) method of stopping smoking. This study will compare the efficacy of the ACE programme and a 1-1 counselling service available via the National Health Service., Methods and Analysis: A two-arm, parallel-group, blinded, randomised controlled trial will be conducted with people who smoke tobacco cigarettes, are aged ≥18 years and are motivated to quit. Exclusion criteria comprise self-reported mental health condition, pregnancy or respiratory disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema. The primary treatment outcome is smoking cessation 26 weeks after treatment. Participants will be analysed on an intention to treat basis at the point of randomisation. Before being randomised, the research team will not inform participants which two treatments are being compared. Once randomised researchers will be blinded to participant condition, and participants will be blinded to the condition they are not assigned to. Logistic regression will be used to estimate the effectiveness of the treatment condition on smoking cessation at 26 weeks. The following covariates will be included: baseline quit efficacy (at inclusion), age (at inclusion), gender and baseline nicotine dependency., Ethics and Dissemination: Approval was granted by London-Fulham Research Ethics Committee (ref: 16/LO/1657). The study's findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at national and international conferences., Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier number: NCT02855255. ISRCTN registration number: ISRCTN23584477; Pre-results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: Responsible drinking messages (RDMs) are a key component of many education-based interventions for reducing alcohol harms. The evidence base for the effectiveness of RDMs is extremely limited, with some recent research suggesting iatrogenic effects of such messages., Objective: To examine the effects of exposure to health messages on attitudes towards drinking and drunkenness, and intentions to drink and get drunk, amongst underage drinkers., Methods: Ninety-four underage drinkers were recruited from colleges in the UK. Participants were either actively or passively exposed to one of two health messages (RDM or general wellbeing). Measures of attitudes and intentions towards drinking and drunkenness were obtained one week before and immediately after participation in the study. A unit estimation task was also included., Results: Active exposure to RDMs led to more positive attitude towards drunkenness, while passive exposure led to more negative attitudes. Passive RDM exposure led to increased intentions to get drunk in future. Wellbeing posters produced the opposite effect in some but not all of these measures., Conclusions: Exposure to RDMs may have some beneficial effects in terms of creating more negative attitudes towards alcohol consumption, but we also identified potential iatrogenic effects regarding attitudes and intentions towards drunkenness amongst an underage sample of drinkers. Further research is required to better understand optimal ways of framing RDMs to produce positive changes in attitudes, intentions, and prospective drinking behaviour., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Antony C. Moss is an unpaid scientific advisor for the Drinkaware Trust, UK.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new psychological intervention, the iNEAR, which is a resilience and wellbeing programme consisting of a classroom based set of activities designed to facilitate the formation of positive identities through the acquisition of skills for growth and personal flourishing. Three hundred and fifty-four young people aged 11 and 12, matched for age and gender, were randomly allocated to the intervention (84 girls; 80 boys) and control conditions (93 girls; 96 boys). Following the intervention, boys, compared to girls, showed higher levels of wellbeing and environmental mastery, and higher levels of tolerance to uncertainty. The intervention was effective in increasing appreciation of positive relationships with others, for girls, and, although not statistically significant, it generated change in the desired direction for boys. In contrast to boys, girls' scores on openness to diversity also increased between baseline and post-intervention. Ways in which positive psychology interventions can resource individuals to better respond to adversity, coercion, and personal uncertainty, and so contribute to safeguarding against the adoption of extreme belief systems are also discussed.

Introduction: Since the advent of e-cigarettes, e-cigarette advertising has escalated and companies are able to use marketing strategies that are not permissible for tobacco products. Research into the effect of e-cigarette advertising on attitudes towards tobacco and e-cigarettes is in its infancy. To date, no research has compared indirect (implicit) measures of attitude towards e-cigarettes with direct (explicit) measures. Furthermore, little consideration has been given to how viewing online advertisements may have an effect on attitudes towards e-cigarettes or how positive attitudes to e-cigarettes may undermine antismoking public health messages. The objectives of this study are to investigate (1) the relationship between explicit and implicit attitudes towards tobacco and e-cigarettes, (2) the effect of e-cigarette advertising on these attitudes and (3) the effect of these attitudes on the efficacy of antismoking health messages., Methods and Analysis: In experiment 1 an analysis of covariance will be conducted to determine whether viewing an e-cigarette advertisement, compared with a neutral image, has an effect on implicit or explicit attitudes towards tobacco and e-cigarettes, and if these attitudes differ between smokers, vapers and non-smokers aged 18 - 25 years. In experiment 2, moderation analysis will be conducted to assess whether attitudes towards e-cigarettes moderate the psychological efficacy of antismoking health messages in participants aged 18-65 years. In each experiment, attitudes will be measured preintervention and postintervention and 1 week later (n=150) in participants who are smokers (n=50), vapers (n=50) or non-smokers (n=50)., Ethics and Dissemination: Approval for this study has been given by the London South Bank University's (LSBU) Research Ethics Committee. The findings of these studies will be submitted for publication and disseminated via conferences. The results will be integrated into course provision for practitioners training at LSBU., Competing Interests: Competing interests: DF and IPA are both investigators on a randomised controlled trial funded by Allen Carr's Easyway. This trial is comparing the Allen Carr's Easway stop-smoking method with local NHS 1-1 stop smoking counselling service. The team is contractually free to publish the results regardless of the study outcome. They have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Rationale: Research has shown that alcohol can have both detrimental and facilitating effects on memory: intoxication can lead to poor memory for information encoded after alcohol consumption (anterograde amnesia) and may improve memory for information encoded before consumption (retrograde facilitation). This study examined whether alcohol consumed after witnessing a crime can render individuals less vulnerable to misleading post-event information (misinformation)., Method: Participants watched a simulated crime video. Thereafter, one third of participants expected and received alcohol (alcohol group), one third did not expect but received alcohol (reverse placebo), and one third did not expect nor receive alcohol (control). After alcohol consumption, participants were exposed to misinformation embedded in a written narrative about the crime. The following day, participants completed a cued-recall questionnaire about the event., Results: Control participants were more likely to report misinformation compared to the alcohol and reverse placebo group., Conclusion: The findings suggest that we may oversimplify the effect alcohol has on suggestibility and that sometimes alcohol can have beneficial effects on eyewitness memory by protecting against misleading post-event information.

Objectives: There is sparse evidence regarding the effect of alcohol-advertising exposure on alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers. This study aimed to assess the immediate effects of alcohol-promoting and alcohol-warning video advertising on objective alcohol consumption in heavy-drinking young adults, and to examine underlying processes., Design: Between-participants randomized controlled trial with three conditions., Methods: Two hundred and four young adults (aged 18-25) who self-reported as heavy drinkers were randomized to view one of three sets of 10 video advertisements that included either (1) alcohol-promoting, (2) alcohol-warning, or (3) non-alcohol advertisements. The primary outcome was the proportion of alcoholic beverages consumed in a sham taste test. Affective responses to advertisements, implicit alcohol approach bias, and alcohol attentional bias were assessed as secondary outcomes and possible mediators. Typical alcohol consumption, Internet use, and television use were measured as covariates., Results: There was no main effect of condition on alcohol consumption. Participants exposed to alcohol-promoting advertisements showed increased positive affect and an increased approach/reduced avoidance bias towards alcohol relative to those exposed to non-alcohol advertisements. There was an indirect effect of exposure to alcohol-warning advertisements on reduced alcohol consumption via negative affect experienced in response to these advertisements., Conclusions: Restricting alcohol-promoting advertising could remove a potential influence on positive alcohol-related emotions and cognitions among heavy-drinking young adults. Producing alcohol-warning advertising that generates negative emotion may be an effective strategy to reduce alcohol consumption. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Exposure to alcohol advertising has immediate and distal effects on alcohol consumption. There is some evidence that effects may be larger in heavy drinkers. Alcohol-warning advertising has been found to have mixed effects on alcohol-related cognitions. What does this study add? Among heavy-drinking young adults: Alcohol advertising does not appear to have an immediate impact on alcohol consumption. Alcohol advertising generates positive affect and increases alcohol approach bias. Alcohol-warning advertising that generates displeasure reduces alcohol consumption., (© 2016 The Authors. British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the British Psychological Society.)

Desire thinking is a conscious and voluntary cognitive process orienting to prefigure images, information and memories about positive target-related experience. Desire thinking has been found to be associated with both craving and alcohol use in clinical and non-clinical populations, however its role in predicting craving and problematic drinking patterns has never been investigated using a longitudinal design. The central aim of the present study was to explore the role of desire thinking at Time 2 (3months post-baseline) in predicting craving and binge drinking and Time 3 (6months post-baseline), controlling for levels of both these constructs and Time 1 (baseline). One hundred and thirty three non-hazardous drinkers were assessed on craving and binge drinking at Times 1 and 3, and on desire thinking at Time 2. Findings showed that desire thinking at Time 2 predicted craving and binge drinking at Time 3, controlling for craving and binge drinking at Time 1. Furthermore, the imaginal prefiguration component of desire thinking at Time 2 was found to mediate the relationship between craving at Times 1 and 3; conversely the verbal perseveration component of desire thinking at Time 2 was found to mediate the relationship between binge drinking at Times 1 and 3. The implications of these findings are discussed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background/aims: If sexual compulsivity and other addictive behaviours share common aetiology, contemporary proposals about the role of attentional processes in understanding addictive behaviours are relevant., Methods: To examine attentional biases for sex-related words among sexually active individuals and the relationship between sexual compulsivity and sexual behavioural engagement with attentional bias, 55 sexually active individuals completed a modified Stroop task and the sexual compulsivity scale., Results: Findings showed attentional bias towards sex-related stimuli among sexually active participants. In addition, among those with low levels of sexual compulsivity, levels of attentional bias were the same across all levels of sexual experience. Among those with higher levels of sexual compulsivity, greater attentional bias was linked with lower levels of sexual experience., Conclusion: Attentional preference for concern-related stimuli varies as a function of the interaction between how long a person has been active sexually and how compulsive their sexual behaviour is., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Facebook is the most popular social networking site in the world providing the opportunity to maintain and/or establish relationships, to share media contents and experiences with friends, and to easily communicate with them. Despite the resources and the innovative social features offered by Facebook research has emerged indicating that its use may become problematic, with negative consequences on personal psycho-social well-being, especially among adolescents and young adults. The main aim of this study was to examine the unique contribution of personality traits and social influence processes (i.e. subjective norms, group norms, and social identity) to perceived frequency of Facebook Use and Problematic Facebook Use in a sample of adolescents. A total of 968 Italian adolescents participated in the study. Structural equation modeling showed that emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness and norms directly predicted Problematic Facebook Use, whereas gender, group norms and social identity predicted perceived frequency of Facebook use. In conclusion, both personal and social variables appear to explain perceived frequency of Facebook use and Problematic Facebook Use among adolescents, and should be taken into account by researchers and educational practitioners., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Previous research exploring cognitive biases in bulimia nervosa suggests that attentional biases occur for both food-related and body-related cues. Individuals with bulimia were compared to non-bulimic controls on an emotional-Stroop task which contained both food-related and body-related cues. Results indicated that bulimics (but not controls) demonstrated a cognitive bias for both food-related and body-related cues. However, a discrepancy between the two cue-types was observed with body-related cognitive biases showing the most robust effects and food-related cognitive biases being the most strongly associated with the severity of the disorder. The results may have implications for clinical practice as bulimics with an increased cognitive bias for food-related cues indicated increased bulimic disorder severity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Dual process accounts of the alcohol-behaviour link hypothesise that differences in drinking patterns will moderate the effects of exposure to alcohol-related cues on behaviour, such as when a placebo is administered. We test this hypothesis by adapting a paradigm used in alcohol myopia research to examine the effects of alcohol-related priming on self-enhancement behaviour amongst social drinkers. Participants were asked to engage in a computerised self-rating task prior to being exposed to alcohol related and/or motivational primes. A staged computer error then occurred, and participants were then asked to complete their self ratings again - this method allowed for an immediate assessment of the impact of alcohol and motivational primes on self enhancement. As predicted by alcohol myopia theory, the overall effect of priming with alcohol-related cues was not significant irrespective of response-conflict manipulations. However, drinker type moderated this effect such that heavier drinkers self-enhanced more after exposure to alcohol-related cues, but only in high-conflict conditions. This suggests that the efficacy of a placebo may be significantly moderated by individual differences in reactions to alcohol-related stimuli, and that dual process accounts of the effects of alcohol on behaviour better explains this variation than alcohol myopia theory.

Introduction: Having an identity as a 'drinker' has been linked to increased alcohol-related harm, self-reported consumption and self-reported intention to engage in risky drinking behavior. These effects have been observed when identities have been measured using explicit measures (e.g. via questionnaires) and implicitly (e.g. using Implicit Association Tests [IATs] adapted to measure identity). Little research has used actual behavioral measures to measure alcohol consumption in-the-moment, nor compared the effects of implicit and explicit identities directly., Methods: Participants' ( n  = 40) implicit and explicit identities associated with being a drinker were measured. Attitudes towards one's own drinking were measured explicitly. Participants completed a Pouring Taste Preference Task [PTPT] involving the consumption and rating of non-alcoholic wine. This provided a behavioral measure of intention (pouring), a behavioral measure of consumption and a measure of the implementation of intention into behavior., Results: Results showed an interactive effect of implicit and explicit identities on attitudes and behavior. Explicit identities predicted attitudes towards drinking, but not behavior. Neither identity predicted the amount poured. Implicit identities predicted the amount consumed. A greater proportion of wine poured was predicted by higher implicit identities when explicit identities were absent., Conclusion: These results suggest that explicit identities may be associated more with those beliefs about drinking that one is aware of than behavioral intention. In addition, explicit identities may not predict behavioral enactment well. Implicit identity shows effects on actual behavior and not behavioral intention. Together this highlights the differential influence of reflective (explicit) and impulsive (implicit) identity in-the-moment behavior.

Engagement with self-help groups is a predictor of positive outcomes for those attempting to control their addictive behaviours. In common with other groups, self-help groups have to manage non-normative ('deviant') behaviour to ensure the social values of the group remain preserved, and the group can fulfil its aims. These processes may protect group members from relapse. Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Cessation Maintenance, the current study asked a number ( n  = 44) of attendees of fellowship (AA/NA/CA) and of SMART groups to list behaviours they saw as normative and deviant, and rate a variety of responses to deviant behaviours. Costs of relapse to both the self and the group were also measured alongside self-efficacy regarding cessation and identity as both an active addict and as a member of a self-help group. Results suggest that social control responses to deviance grouped into education, punishment and avoidant type responses. More social control was perceived by highly identifying self-help group members. Educational responses were seen as used by groups more extensively than other responses. Punishment responses were mediated by the perceived costs an individual's relapse incurred on the rest of the group. These findings inform our understanding of what standards of normative and deviant behaviour self-help groups hold, and how they react to violations of such norms. They also have a number of implications for practitioners and facilitators in regard to using social identities as part of the treatment process.

Objectives: To identify prevalence and predictors of participation in the online drinking game 'neknomination' amongst university students., Method: A convenience sample of 145 university students participated in a study about drinking behaviours, completing a questionnaire about their participation in neknomination, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the Resistance to Peer Influence Scale., Results: Out of 145 students sampled, 54% took part in neknomination in the previous month. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed significantly higher scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and significantly lower scores on the Resistance to Peer Influence Scale, for those who had participated in neknomination. A significant correlation was also shown between specific peer pressure to neknominate, and engagement in neknomination. A logistic regression analysis indicated that scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, but not the Resistance to Peer Influence Scale, predicted classification as an individual who participated in neknomination., Conclusions: We found that over half of respondents had participated in a neknomination game in the past month, with almost all male respondents having done so. Participation in neknomination was strongly associated with general hazardous drinking behaviour but not with resistance to peer influence. Further research is needed to understand the role of engagement with social media in drinking games and risky drinking.

Aims: To examine whether a group of social drinkers showed longer response latencies to alcohol-related stimuli than neutral stimuli and to test whether exposure to 1) an alcohol-related environment and 2) consumption related cues influenced the interference from alcohol-related stimuli., Methods: A 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 factorial design with Exposure Group (high, low) and Consumption Group (high, low) as between-participant factors and Word Type (alcohol, neutral) and Block (1-5) as within-participant factors was used. Forty-three undergraduate university students, 21 assigned to a high exposure group and 22 to a low exposure group, took part in the experiment. Exposure Group was defined according to whether or not participants currently worked in a bar or pub. Consumption Group was defined according to a median split on a quantity-frequency measure derived from two questions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire. A modified computerised Stroop colour naming test was used to measure response latencies., Results: Exposure and consumption factors interacted to produce greater interference from alcohol-related stimuli. In particular, the low consumption group showed interference from alcohol-related stimuli only in the high exposure condition. Exposure did not affect the magnitude of interference in the high consumption group., Conclusions: Attentional bias is dependent upon exposure to distinct types of alcohol-related cues.

Aims: Four experiments were conducted to assess the acute impact of context and exposure to responsible drinking messages (RDMs) on attentional allocation and drinking behaviour of younger drinkers and to explore the utility of lab-based methods for the evaluation of such materials., Methods: A simulated bar environment was used to examine the impact of context, RDM posters, and brief online responsible drinking advice on actual drinking behaviour. Experiments one (n = 50) and two (n = 35) comprised female non-problem drinkers, whilst Experiments three (n = 80) and 4 (n = 60) included a mixed-gender sample of non-problem drinkers, recruited from an undergraduate student cohort. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess drinking patterns. Alcohol intake was assessed through the use of a taste preference task., Results: Drinking in a simulated bar was significantly greater than in a laboratory setting in the first two studies, but not in the third. There was a significant increase in alcohol consumption as a result of being exposed to RDM posters. Provision of brief online RDM reduced the negative impact of these posters somewhat; however the lowest drinking rates were associated with being exposed to neither posters nor brief advice. Data from the final experiment demonstrated a low level of visual engagement with RDMs, and that exposure to posters was associated with increased drinking., Conclusions: Poster materials promoting responsible drinking were associated with increased consumption amongst undergraduate students, suggesting that poster campaigns to reduce alcohol harms may be having the opposite effect to that intended. Findings suggest that further research is required to refine appropriate methodologies for assessing drinking behaviour in simulated drinking environments, to ensure that future public health campaigns of this kind are having their intended effect., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Research to understand how individuals cope with intrusive negative or threatening thoughts suggests a variety of different cognitive strategies aimed at thought control. In this review, two of these strategies--thought suppression and repressive coping--are discussed in the context of addictive behaviour. Thought suppression involves conscious, volitional attempts to expel a thought from awareness, whereas repressive coping, which involves the avoidance of thoughts without the corresponding conscious intention, appears to be a far more automated process. Whilst there has been an emerging body of research exploring the role of thought suppression in addictive behaviour, there remains a dearth of research which has considered the role of repressive coping in the development of, and recovery from, addiction. Based on a review of the literature, and a discussion of the supposed mechanisms which underpin these strategies for exercising mental control, a conceptual model is proposed which posits a potential common mechanism. This model makes a number of predictions which require exploration in future research to fully understand the cognitive strategies utilised by individuals to control intrusive thoughts related to their addictive behaviour., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)