Contrasting implicit and explicit measures of attitudes to complementary and alternative medicines

We aimed to contrast implicit and explicit measures of attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicines, to determine which best predicts medicine adherence. 117 participants from Université Grenoble Alpes completed online measures of attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicines, including implicit measures (Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP); Implicit Association Test (IAT)), and explicit measures (Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), modified explicit AMP); and self-reported medicine adherence (Medication Adherence Scale (MARS); Probabilistic Medication Adherence Scale (ProMAS)). AMP measures of implicit and explicit attitudes predicted beliefs toward medicine and medicines adherence. Models including implicit measures were stronger than models with explicit measures alone. Further, the AMP predicted beliefs toward medicine as well as medicine adherence, and the AMP was a stronger predictor compared to the IAT, although the IAT predicted adherence. These preliminary findings suggest that ‘hot’ implicit attitudes are a useful predictor of people's medicine choices, and that the AMP outperforms the IAT.