Positive treatment expectations among patients are associated with reduced symptoms and reduced negative emotions, stress and anxiety. Patient expectations may be influenced by practitioners who focus on increasing positive treatment effects and reducing psychological and physiological stress.

This study examined clinicians’ self-reported utilization of expectancy effects as additive effects to active treatments.

We applied a questionnaire to investigate clinicians’ utilization of patients´ treatment expectations. The items mapped reasons for increasing patient expectations, ways through which this was done, the frequency and efficiency of increasing expectations, and the understanding of underlying mechanisms of increasing patient expectations. Nurses (N=84) and medical doctors (N=49) employed in general practitioners’ offices, hospitals, nursing homes and home health care services, responded anonymously.

When asked if they had tried to influence patient’s expectations to achieve an additive effect to active treatment, 71.2% reported that they had done so at least one time over the last year, 18.5% at least once per month, 16.9% at least once per week and 32.3% at a daily basis. Neither profession nor practitioner sex influenced these results. The two most frequently reported reasons for trying to influence expectations were to increase the effect of an active treatment and to calm the patient. Optimism and empathy were the two most frequently reported ways through which expectations were influenced.

The strategy of utilizing expectation effects as additive effects to active treatment was frequent among the respondents. The main reported reasons were to increase treatment effects and reduce patients’ stress through expressing optimism and empathy.

No significant relationships.

Adolescent´s subjective well-being (SWB) can be improved through the training of emotional intelligence (EI).

The goal of this study is to determine the general link between EI and SWB in adolescents, to analyze the affective (AWB) and cognitive components (CWB) of SWB, and to investigate the moderating effect of EI models on both types of SWB.

We searched PsycINFO and WOS from inception to December 2020. Eligible studies reported an association between EI and SWB in adolescents aged from 10 to 19 years using instruments that directly measure SWB. Two meta-analyses were conducted, one for the relationship between EI and AWB and the other for EI and CWB.

A total of 41 studies were included, of which 37 were pooled in the meta-analyses. We obtained a significant positive relationship between EI and AWB (estimated effect size = 0.35) and between EI and CWB (0.29). Concerning EI models, self-report ability showed an estimated effect size of 0.33 for AWB and 0.28 for CWB. For the self-report mixed model, we found an estimated effect size of 0.42 for AWB and 0.38 for CWB.

Establishing a quantitative relationship between SWB and EI makes it possible to implement both clinical and educational prevention measures. Introducing EI training in educational and clinical settings can increase SWB, which could significantly impact the prevention of emotional disorders in adolescents.

No significant relationships.

In contemporary context the difficulties of making sense of social ambiguity becomes one of the most important appeals for seeking the psychological help. This grounds the importance of studying the mechanism underlying the quality of mentalization and its individual variations.

The objective of the study was to find empirical relations between the quality of mentalization and its cognitive, emotional and expressive mediating factors.

(1) The Adult Attachment Interview, scored using Social Cognition and Object Relations-Global rating method for mentalization ability. (2) Group embedded figures test. (3) New Tolerance-Intolerance to ambiguity and (4) Toronto alexithymia scale questionnaires. Twenty participants, aged 18-38, looking for psychological consultation, took part in the study.

Correlation analysis suggests positive relation between field-independency and tolerance to ambiguity (r = .47; p < .05). The complexity of representations of the mind positively correlates with the understanding of social causality (r = .92; p < .01). The affective quality of relationships’ representations positively correlates with the ability to emotionally invest into relationships (r = .66; p < .01), and with the understanding of social causality (r = .47; p < .05). The ability of emotional investment into relationships also positively correlates with the understanding of social causality (r = .93; p < .01). There is a negative link between the severity of alexithymia and the presence of long-term relationships with a partner (r = -.53; p < .05).

Mentalization should be understood as a system, with underplaying cognitive, expressive and emotional factors.

No significant relationships.

Trauma, stress, and attachment problems are negatively related to the development of mentalization. Children raised in institutional care are more exposed to these difficulties, therefore the development of population-specific interventions that aim to improve mentalization skills would be highly desirable.

Our goal is to develop mentalization-based intervention programs for specific age groups (9-13 years, 14-18 years, and adult staff members of institutional care centers) - that support children’s and adolescents’ social functioning and conflict resolution skills.

The mentalization-based intervention targeting institutional care staff was launched first. Due to the pandemic, this intervention was executed online with two intervention (N = 17) and two passive control (N = 15) groups. Before and after the intervention, participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, the Mini Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, The Strengths, and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire.

The intervention protocol and our results will be shown at the conference. There was no significant difference between the two intervention and two passive control groups in the demographic features. Mentalization uncertainty and burnout was positively related(rs(23) = .42, p = .034), while mentalization uncertainty and parental competence was negatively associated (rs(23) = - .41, p = .041).

The intervention program will be fine-tuned and optimized based on the results of the pilot study. In the next interventions, we plan to focus on the issues that the staff perceived as most difficult and to conduct interventions among the children.

No significant relationships.

One of the most important factors that represents a threating both physical and psychological health in our lives is the individual’s risk behaviour. Though emotions exert a strong influence on risk decision-making, the literature studying the role of emotional abilities on the tendency to engage in risk behaviour is scarce.

The aim was to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence (Attention, Clarity, and Repair) and risk behaviour in its different domains (Ethical, Health, Financial, Social, and Recreational domains). We also examined whether there were gender differences in both variables.

A Spanish community sample of 1435 participants (Mage = 29.84, ranging from 18 to 70 years old; 61.9% women) were assessed in levels of EI and risk-taking by the TMMS-24 and DOSPERT-30 scales.

The result revelated that emotional intelligence was positive related with Social and Recreational domains, and negative related with Ethical and Health domains. Moreover, women showed higher scores for EI and Social risk-taking domain than men, and men showed higher scores for Ethical, Financial, Health, and Recreational risk-taking domains.

These findings show and support that EI is differentially related to risk behaviour depending on the risk domain studied. We suggest that higher levels of EI could be adaptive for risk behaviour regardless the directionality of the relationship. Considering the impact of health-related risky behaviours on public health and individual well-being, the development of effective risk prevention programs that train emotional abilities could reduce the incidence of these behaviours in our society.

No significant relationships.

Changing attitudes and behaviour regarding mental health and help-seeking is a complex process, especially in poorer areas where access to mental health services is relatively new. Data from the Indonesian national health survey indicate that after the introduction of the Universal Health Coverage a large number of people suffering from mental illness remain untreated

This study aims to address this issue by seeking the views of community leaders (i.e. village and banjars leaders) on ways to raise community awareness to improve access to mental health services, increase service utilisation rates and reduce the duration of untreated mental illness in Bali.

This is a qualitative study with community leaders (i.e. village and banjar leaders) in communities in Bali on barriers and facilitators of accessing mental health services for people.

In Bali they still have faith in the traditional healer so if they see one and the mentally ill patient is getting better then they don’t think they need to go to the hospital. According to the community leaders the determinants for non-uptake of mental health services were mental health awareness should be integrated systematically starting at primary care and must be complemented by secondary care, and have linkages to informal community-based services and self-care. The community leaders can play a role in awareness-raising by empowerment the community and other logics in community care setting.

Community awareness can improve access to mental health services, increase service utilisation rates and reduce the duration of untreated mental illness in Bali

No significant relationships.

Stigma is one of the most important barriers to help-seeking, treating maintenance and recovery for people suffering mental disorders. These attitudes, when present in mental health workers, may have a negative effect on the quality of health care.

to evaluate the levels of stigma in a representative sample of mental health workers and to explore potential modifiable factors associated to stigma attitudes.

An online survey was conducted on the mental health workers of Castilla y León (Spain, 2409164 habs) while projecting the 2022 Mental Health Humanization plan in order to asses educational skills, burnout (Maschlach MBI), Professional Quiality of life (CVP-35) and Stigma attitudes (Mental Illness: Cinician’s Attitudes Scales, MICA4) together with sociodemographic and work position variables.

193 workers completed completed the survey. Stigma Attitude values of the sample were low (MICA4: 31.71; SD:7.3) and burnout were low or medium (medium Emotional Exhaustion: 19.22; SD8.89; low Depersonalization: 4.91; SD:3.61; Medium Personal Accomplishment: 34,17; 6.3). In the linear regression (R2=0.249; F:11,527; p<0,001), a lower Stigma was predicted by psychologist (Beta:0,207; p=0,003) or psychiatrist position (Beta:0,204; 0,005), Self-efficacy assessed by the item “I am qualified” in the CVP-35 (Beta:-10,144; p=0,023), and a higher stigma was predicted by nurse assistant position (Beta: -0.230; p=0.001), Depersonalization Burnout dimension (Beta:0,351; p<0,001) and years of service (Beta:0.148; p=0,023)

Some groups of mental workers are more vulnerable to develop stigma attitudes. These, may be increased by fatigue and burnout. Future interventions should determine if reducing burnout and increasing capacitation may be effective in stigma eradication

No significant relationships.

Research data indicate the necessity of efficient human functional states’ (HFS) self-regulations for successful work execution, and not only for those professionals, who work under extreme work conditions; efficient HFS self-regulation is discussed as one of the key professional competences in socionomic jobs as well (Friedman, 2003; Landy & Conte, 2021). Moreover, ability of efficient HFS self-regulation could be viewed as a differentiative competence for separation of professionals with normal and high work achievements (Spencer L. & Spencer S., 1993).

The empirical study was targeted to investigate HFS self-regulation efficiency as a predictor of work success under long-term innovation stress.

The longitudinal research was conducted in college teachers (n=50) during the period of organizational innovations. The empirical data were obtained by the diagnostic set of methods for self-assessment of attitudes towards innovations as a factor of long-term work strain, coping strategies and self-regulation means, chronic fatigue and burnout as the main consequences of long-term stress manifestations (Hobfoll, Dunahoo, Ben-Porath & Monnier, 1994; Leonova, 2012).

The significant diversity in the level of HFS self-regulation efficiency in teachers with different work success has been found (p<0,05). Teachers with the highest level of work results have a well-developed system of self-regulation means, which allows them to cope with innovation stress.

The empirical data revealed patterns of effective self-regulation means, which are adequate to situational requirement, professional norms and rules of organizational behavior. Obtained results formed the basis for the elaboration of training course for HFS self-regulation skills development.

No significant relationships.

Flexible work arrangements promote not only acceptable and convenient work modes; for many professionals flexible work leads to increase in workload and in working time (Rubery et al., 2016; Thompson et al., 2015). As the result, lack of recreation time could be named as a direct consequence of high workload (Pang, 2017). The key problem is the investigation of attitudes towards recreation and recovery: are professionals more reactive or proactive in their recreation planning, and do they recover well?

The aim of the research: to reveal (1) typical types of recreation planning for professionals with high level of work flexibility and (2) recovery efficiency level.

The research was conducted in representatives of various professions, who work in flexible work arrangements (n=378). The diagnostic set included inventories for assessment of recreation planning type (Luzyanina, Kuznetsova, 2014) and recovery efficiency (Leonova, 2019).

Two types of recreation planning have been found: proactive (26% of respondents) and reactive (74%). For the reactive approach lack of targeted strategies of recreation planning has been found. Proactive approach is characterized by tracking signs of resources decrease and advance planning of work breaks. There are differences in recovery efficiency (p<0,001) in proactive and reactive professionals: non-efficient recovery is typical for the majority of professionals with the reactive type to recreation planning.

The detailed analysis of proactive/reactive approaches manifestations and peculiarities of recreation planning could help to predict not only the recovery level, but the mechanisms of advanced self-regulation, adequate to high work flexibility.

No significant relationships.

Mental health literacy (MHL) could be defined as a knowledge of mental health, comprehension of its importance, adequate attitude to information about mental health, possession of skills and abilities to provide assistance and self-help to maintain and promote mental health.

The aim of the present study is to identify possible relationships between the components of mental health literacy and the manifestations of the emotional sphere of the respondents.

The sample consisted of 220 young people from 16 to 23. Emotional Empathy Questionnaire (A. Mehrabian, M. Epstein), self-assessment of mental states (G. Eysenck), questionnaire from the study of Reavley et al., and the custom MHL questionnaire were used.

Most significant of relationships revealed by Pearson’s Product-moment correlation analysis: Adequate actions of respondents in a mental health-threatening situation inversely correlates with anxiety (r=-0.38, p=0.0002), aggressiveness (r=-0.22, p=0.017), frustration (r=-0.35, p=0.00008), rigidity (r=-0.29, p=0.0012). Comprehension of the importance of specialized care inversely correlates with frustration (r=-0.2, p=0.027). Helping others in difficult situations correlates with empathy (r=0.48, p=0.0000).

A low level of the behavioral component of MHL is often manifested with high anxiety, aggressiveness, rigidity, frustration. Correlation between the cognitive component and frustration may indicate that sufficient level of this component does not allow the individual to fall into a state of deep frustration in mental health-threatening situations. Individuals with low level of anxiety, rigidity, aggression are more inclined to understand the importance of seeking professional help. An individual with lower frustration and aggressiveness will less likely choose destructive behaviors (addictions to alcohol, self-harm, etc.).

No significant relationships.

Non adherence to psychotropic drugs is associated with negative outcomes, including hospitalizations, aggressive behaviors, suicide attempts and increased premature mortality. It represents a psychiatric challenge, especially in young adults who show higher risk of non-adherence to treatment

Firstly this study evaluates the incidence of non-adherence to therapy in 18-24 years patients from a Psycho-Social Center in Milan; and then to analyze the predictive factors of non-adherence.

In this retrospective “Real Life” observational study, 120 outpatients aged 18 to 24 years, from Psycho-social Center of L. Sacco University Hospital in Milan, were recruited in 2019. Non-adherence to treatment, according to the World Health Organization, was considered “a modality of assuming medications that does not correspond to healthcare professionals’ recommendations”. Statistical analysis were performed with chi-square, ANOVA and linear regression tests, setting significance to p<0.05.

88 of 120 outpatients (73.3%) received an indication to psychopharmacological treatment. Of these, 23 (26.1%) did not show adherence to therapy. Results showed a positive association between non-adherence and increased hospitalizations (p <.01), oral antipsychotics (p<.05) and drop-out rates (p<.001). A significant correlation was also observed between non-adherence and Intellectual Disability (p<.05), Bipolar Disorder (p<.05), psychotic symptoms (p<.05), alterations in affectivity and mood (p<.005), alterations in sleep pattern (p<.05), school dropout (p<.05) and poor family support (p<.01).

This study confirms that non-adherence has a relevant incidence in young-adults psychiatric population, highlighting the importance of effective and structured assessment in clinical practice to identify predictive factors and risk profiles associated with this phenomenon.

No significant relationships.

How do medical students, who have self-criticism of being procrastinators of their study obligations, deal psychologically with daily tasks? The experience of procrastination by those who are considered high-performance students involves resources of mental health to cope with guilt, exhaustion, or even self-sabotage. According to MeSH used by PubMed, procrastination is ‘the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time, or to infinity’.

To explore the psychological meanings that medical students attribute to procrastination phenomena to better understand how they handle the usual curriculum overload.

Clinical-qualitative design. Sample of 13 participants closed by information saturation with 2nd, 3rd, 4th-year students. Semi-directed interviews with open-ended questions in-depth. Clinical-qualitative content analysis, free-floating readings with psychodynamic concepts. Results were validated by peers at the Laboratory of Clinical-Qualitative Research.

Emergent categories: 1) between procrastination and despair: the process of stress in procrastination; 2) a proving mechanism: procrastination as an emotional defense; 3) a very delicate rumination: between procrastination and mere delay, an emotional dilemma; 4) this conflict is painful: the confrontation between the desire to comply with tasks with excellence and the enjoyment of life.

Procrastination is reported by students as a source of great tension generated by opposing forces and desires, in which exhaustion is eventually reached. There are emotional contradictions related to guilt for leaving tasks to the last moment and the need to live other things besides doing academic tasks. Procrastination is a message-metaphor. It is important that institutions listen to students to understand what procrastination is saying about them.

No significant relationships.

Previous studies indicated, that mentalization mediates the link between adult attachment and stress, however, this relationship was not tested before among non-clinical parents of children aged between 12 and 18 years.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between parental reflective functioning, attachment style, perceived parental sense of competence, and stress among parents.

After providing written consent, 186 non-clinical mothers completed a questionnaire packet that included a demographic form, The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire - Adolescent version, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, the Parental Sense of Competence Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. A moderated mediation analysis with parental sense of competence as a dependent variable, mother’s attachment style as an independent variable, certainty about mental states hypermentalization subscale as a mediator, and stress as a moderator was conducted.

In the moderated mediation analysis, the direct effect of the attachment style on the parental sense of competence in the case of preoccupied attachment style was significant (p < .001). The interaction term of the hypermentalization subscale by perceived stress was also significant in the case of low level (w = -1.57, p < .001) and high level of perceived stress (w= 1.21, p = .049) among mothers with a preoccupied attachment style.

These findings suggest that the preoccupied attachment style is related to the parental sense of competence through certainty about mental states hypermentalization in case of low level and high level of perceived stress, so mentalization-based interventions are warranted.

No significant relationships.

Younger schoolchildren with psychological development disorders have low cognitive activity, insufficient development of basic school skills, and a low level of educational motivation. In accordance with the requirements of the educational program for students with psychological development disorders, it is important to develop the ability to predict the results of their actions.

The study of predictive competence in primary schoolchildren with psychological development disorders.

The study involved 60 children aged 8-10 years with a psychological development disorder. To study predictive competence, the methodology “The ability to predict in situations of potential or real violation of social norms” was used.

The study revealed a low level of the cognitive and speech-communicative spheres of prognostic competence development in primary schoolchildren with psychological development disorders, as well as a deficit in prediction in the field of learning, which includes educational cooperation and educational communication of the child. Generalized statements, a passive position in future situations and pessimistic attitudes prevailed in the predictions of schoolchildren when constructing an image of the future. For schoolchildren with psychological development disorders, the prognosis is presented by monosyllabic answers, with the observable poverty of speech utterances.

The features of prognostic competence revealed in the study make it possible to develop individual programs for the development of the prognostic abilities of schoolchildren with psychological development disorders. This paper has been supported by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program.

No significant relationships.

Younger schoolchildren with psychological development disorders have low cognitive activity, insufficient development of basic school skills, and a low level of educational motivation. In accordance with the requirements of the educational program for students it is important to develop the ability to predict the results of their actions and deeds.

The study of predictive competence in primary schoolchildren with psychological development disorders.

The study involved 60 children aged 8-10 years with a psychological development disorder. To study predictive competence, the methodology “The ability to predict in situations of potential or real violation of social norms” was used.

The study revealed a low level of the cognitive and speech-communicative spheres of prognostic competence development in primary schoolchildren with psychological development disorders, as well as a deficit in prediction in the field of learning, which includes educational cooperation and educational communication of the child. Generalized statements, a passive position in future situations and pessimistic attitudes prevailed in the predictions of schoolchildren when constructing an image of the future. For schoolchildren the prognosis is presented by monosyllabic answers, with the observable poverty of speech utterances.

The features of prognostic competence revealed in the study make it possible to develop individual programs for the development of the prognostic abilities of schoolchildren with psychological development disorders, to teach how to predict the development of events in educational activities, to recognize the emotions of the participants in the events. This paper has been supported by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program.

No significant relationships.

The Inventory of Academic Sources of Stress in Medical Education (IASSME) evaluates the presence and intensity of the main sources of academic stress for Portuguese Medicine students in five dimensions: Course demands/CD, Human demands/HD, Lifestyle/LS, Academic competition/AC, and Academic adjustment/AA.

To further validate the ISSME using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and to analyze the psychometric properties of a new version including additional sources of stress.

Participants were 666 Portuguese medicine (82.6%) and dentistry (17.4%) students (81.8% girls); they answered an online survey including the ISSME and other validated questionnaires: Maslach Burnout Inventory – Students Survey (MBI-SS) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS).

Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the second order model composed of five factors (the original structure by Loureiro et al. 2008), but excluding item 11 (loading=.371), presented good fit indexes (χ2/df=3.274; RMSEA=.0581, p<.001; CFI=.917; TLI=.904, GFI=.919). The Cronbach’s alfas were α=.897 for the total and from α=.669 (F2-HD) to α=.859 (F1-CD) for the dimensions. The expanded version, including two additional items related to lack of interest in medicine/dentistry (F6, α=.543) and two additional COVID-19 stress-related-items (F7, α=.744) also showed acceptable fit indexes (χ2/df=3.513; RMSEA=.061, p<.001; CFI=.88.; TLI=.866, GFI=.892). This new version’s α was of .896. Pearson correlations between ISSME and the other measures were significant (p<.01) and high: >.55 with DASS and >.50 with MBI-SS. Girls presented significantly higher ISSME scores. F6 score was significantly higher in dentistry students.

This further validation study underlines that IASSME presents good validity (construct and convergent) and reliability.

No significant relationships.

One of the main concepts of mental health promotion is proactivity, rather than reactivity. As psychiatrists we must be the first line of mental health advocacy and to do so we must share clear messages and take definitive actions.

Inventing a cause that raises mental health awareness in the society. Afterwards creating a page in the social media that uses common language and which represents the main concepts of mental health and also targets prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Taking part in sport events that have the potential to increase the social awareness and reaching national media in order to popularize the cause.

First came creation of a page in the social media. Afterwards came the preparation of video materials and e-posters on the following topics: mental health, stigma, myths and facts about mental disorders, early trauma, mental disorders. The materials were posted and “boosted”. All this was accompanied by numerous media events and interviews on national media. In order to garner more attention there were two participations in a 750km bike ultra marathons.

The complex approach of the cause „I ride with you” (Az Karam s teb) led to the establishment of a popular page in the social media. Within 1 year the page got 1500 followers. The page content was shared 733 times. There were 12 national media appearances. All these numbers represent a small but significant step in mental health promotion.

In order to promote healthy “mental environment” we must use diverse and contemporary approaches.

No significant relationships.

The dawn of COVID-19 brought new rules, restrictions, and lockdowns but this led to the unlikely fall of many sectors, including the charitable sector. There has been a significant decline in funding received by mental health charities, especially during the pandemic. This study looks at the subsequent impact on fundraisers and mental health promotion during COVID-19.

The main aim was to uncover how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way that mental health charities fundraise, raise awareness, and promote mental health. This aimed to look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fundraisers supporting mental health charities and their opinion on whether fundraising has either helped or hindered mental health promotion.

Accounts from fundraisers and local representatives for mental health charities during the COVID-19 pandemic were analysed. Common themes looked at the impact, adaptation, and reasons why fundraisers decided to help during a tough period for the charitable sector.

Mental health charities expressed difficulty in sourcing funds to support their users, especially in a vulnerable time. Fundraisers tried innovative ways to promote mental health and raise money for charities.

Altruism and understanding how precious services such as mental health charities are for the population was the main driver for fundraisers. Mental health charities adapted by turning to online communication and reached out to fundraisers to continually highlight the importance of mental health to their users and fundraisers.

No significant relationships.

Many classification system and mental health act in many country attempted to define mental illness but mental health perse has not been defined.Some unaddressed question like ” what is diseased in mental illness, what do you treat or set right by treatment, how the psychiatrist say that a pateint is improved and describe or define mental health” are addressed.

Working concept for professionals of all allied clinical disciplines. Enable them to understand mental illness and mental health in a uniform and consistent way. Enable all MHP to speak the same language, without room for personal bias. Avoid misconceptions and reduce the stigma with mental illness

We divided spectrum of mental health into Mentally Healthy, Not Healthy, Unhealthy and ill . Based on two dimension: 1. impact on self and 2. Impact on other. Awareness of ones own self, ability to relate well with other and ones own actions are useful to self as well as others are the three arms of mental health.

A presentation was given to psychiatrist & allied sciences professional & members from judicairy, technolocrats, industrialist and educationist. Interaction was recorded and analysed, people even gave their responses comments and suggestions by mail and writing.

Mind is defined as a functional concept consists of Mood Thought and Intellect which is nicely amalgamated in a synchronised manner which always function in unison and the constituents cannot function in isolation. The three arms of the mental health are used to develop a tool to measure the same. All details will be discussed during the presentation.

No significant relationships.

According to the Medical Subject Headings, the vocabulary used by PubMed, procrastination is ‘the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time, or to infinity’. Studies on procrastination are increasing, especially among university students, gaining prominence in academic literature. However, studies on the procrastination phenomenon have been mainly quantitative, correlating such experiences with clinical and behavioral manifestations. Specific research with occupational therapy students is lacking in the literature.

To interpret symbolic meanings related to life experiences of the procrastination phenomenon of school tasks as reported by occupational therapy undergraduate students, self-referred as procrastinators.

Clinical-qualitative design. Data collected through semi-directed interviews with open-ended questions in-depth. Clinical-Qualitative Content Analysis generated categories discussed in the light of the psychodynamic theoretical framework. This study was carried out in a private Brazilian university. The sample was closed by the information saturation criterion.

Seven students were interviewed. Procrastination comes associated with anxiety as productivity, but not reported as an “executive drive”, that would imprison the individual in a vicious cycle. There are defense mechanisms referred to as self-preservation for not assume responsibilities for tasks. Ineffective strategies seem to be experienced by the students to avoid procrastination, but without resolving possible psychodynamic conflicts related to the task.

Students’ procrastination ambivalently affects their daily lives, although they can report the phenomenon as negative. It is suggested further qualitative studies that explore specifically meanings of procrastinating personal activities, in general, considering these individuals will work precisely in a therapeutic approach in the field of occupations of the people.

No significant relationships.