Exploring the potential psychological predictors associated with changes in depression, anxiety, and well-being following naturalistic psychedelic use.
Felipe Herrmann, Grant Jones, Daniel M Low, James M Zech, Robin Carhart-Harris, Hannes Kettner
Journal of Psychiatric Research November 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.09.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective online survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 161 |
| Population | Adults reporting naturalistic psychedelic use |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Hallucinogens Entheogens Psychotropic substances Mental health Psychological well-being Emotional health Mental well-being Psychological health Psychological traits Personality traits Personal characteristics Psychological shifts Individual differences Self-esteem Extraversion Agreeableness Emotional stability Meaning in life Investigation Findings |
| Key findings | Increases in meaning in life, agreeableness, mindfulness, and extraversion were most strongly associated with future increases in well-being; increases in mindfulness, emotional stability, and extraversion with future decreases in anxiety; and increases in self-esteem with future decreases in depression. |
Abstract
Although research shows that psychedelic use may lead to improvement in mental health and well-being, the underlying changes in psychological predictors associated with these improvements remain unclear. 161 participants were recruited in a prospective online survey assessing naturalistic psychedelic use. We used lasso regression to assess how 19 distinct changes in psychological variables (e.g., meaning in life, mindfulness) were linked to future changes in depression, anxiety, and well-being changes. We found increases in meaning in life (β = 0.229, 95 % CI [0.101, 0.357], p < 0.01), agreeableness (β = 0.193, [0.077, 0.361], p < 0.05), mindfulness (β = 0.174, [0.022, 0.383], p < 0.05), and extraversion (β = 0.135, [0.002, 0.246], p = 0.046) to be the variables most strongly associated with future increases in well-being. Increases in mindfulness (β = -0.347, [-0.481, -0.220], p < 0.001), emotional stability (β = -0.158, [-0.279, -0.020], p < 0.05), and extraversion (β = -0.147, [0.022, 0.383], p < 0.05) were the most strongly associated with future decreases in anxiety. Lastly, increases in self-esteem (β = -0.216, [-0.365, -0.056], p < 0.05) were most strongly associated with changes in depression. Changes in mindfulness and emotional stability were also associated with depression; however, they were not significant. Mindfulness was the sole predictor that ranked within the top three across all outcomes. These findings suggest that these differing predictors may underpin the observed psychological improvements following naturalistic psychedelic use.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 985 |
| The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin | 2016 | Questionnaire development and validation | |
| Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States | 2013 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 130,152 |
| Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use | 2002 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 282 |
| 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 362 |
Citations in the library
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and 62 more in the library