Understanding treatment expectations toward emerging therapies in veterinary medicine: the role of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward psychedelic-assisted interventions
Frontiers in Veterinary Science July 28, 2026 Yanira Suárez-Fernández, Elisa Hernández-Álvarez, Lucas F. Borkel et al.
Among 87 veterinary students surveyed at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, positive attitudes toward psychedelics showed the strongest and most consistent associations with favorable treatment expectations for psychedelic-assisted therapies, including perceived benefit, impact, and overall expectations. Perceived risk showed an inverse but more moderate association. Sociodemographic and educational variables were linked to treatment expectations primarily through these psychological constructs rather than directly. The authors argue the findings support a cognitive–attitudinal framework in which expectations toward emerging therapies relate more closely to interpretable psychological dimensions than to factual knowledge alone.