The Watts Connectedness Scale: a new scale for measuring a sense of connectedness to self, others, and world
Rosalind Watts, Hannes Kettner, Dana Geerts, Sam Gandy, Laura Kärtner, Lea J. Mertens, Christopher Timmermann, Matthew M. Nour, Mendel Kaelen, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris, Leor Roseman
Psychopharmacology August 8, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06187-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scale validation with data from two prospective observational online surveys and a double-blind randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,278 |
| Population | Adults who had a planned psychedelic experience (online surveys) and adults with major depressive disorder (RCT) |
| Interventions | Psilocybin-assisted therapy Escitalopram |
| Duration | 6-week primary endpoint in the RCT |
| Topics | Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Interconnectedness Belonging Relatedness Self-connection Social connection World connection Psychological well-being Emotional health Mental wellness Mental well-being Mental health improvements Psilocybin therapy Psychedelics Psychedelic treatment Psychological measurement Scale validation Psychological scale Measurement tool Research tool Psychometrics Assessment tool Connectedness scale New scale Validated scale |
| Citations | 159 |
| Key findings | The Watts Connectedness Scale is a valid three-factor measure of felt connectedness that shows significant increases after psychedelic use and greater improvement with psilocybin therapy than with escitalopram. |
Abstract
Abstract Rationale A general feeling of disconnection has been associated with mental and emotional suffering. Improvements to a sense of connectedness to self, others and the wider world have been reported by participants in clinical trials of psychedelic therapy. Such accounts have led us to a definition of the psychological construct of ‘connectedness’ as ‘a state of feeling connected to self, others and the wider world’. Existing tools for measuring connectedness have focused on particular aspects of connectedness, such as ‘social connectedness’ or ‘nature connectedness’, which we hypothesise to be different expressions of a common factor of connectedness. Here, we sought to develop a new scale to measure connectedness as a construct with these multiple domains. We hypothesised that (1) our scale would measure three separable subscale factors pertaining to a felt connection to ‘self’, ‘others’ and ‘world’ and (2) improvements in total and subscale WCS scores would correlate with improved mental health outcomes post psychedelic use.
Objectives: To validate and test the ‘Watts Connectedness Scale’ (WCS).
Methods: Psychometric validation of the WCS was carried out using data from three independent studies. Firstly, we pooled data from two prospective observational online survey studies. The WCS was completed before and after a planned psychedelic experience. The total sample of completers from the online surveys was N = 1226. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were performed, and construct and criterion validity were tested. A third dataset was derived from a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing psilocybin-assisted therapy ( n = 27) with 6 weeks of daily escitalopram ( n = 25) for major depressive disorder (MDD), where the WCS was completed at baseline and at a 6-week primary endpoint.
Results: As hypothesised, factor analysis of all WCS items revealed three main factors with good internal consistency. WCS showed good construct validity. Significant post-psychedelic increases were observed for total connectedness scores (η2 = 0.339, p < 0.0001), as well as on each of its subscales ( p < 0.0001). Acute measures of ‘mystical experience’, ‘emotional breakthrough’, and ‘communitas’ correlated positively with post-psychedelic changes in connectedness ( r = 0.42, r = 0.38, r = 0.42, respectively, p < 0.0001). In the RCT, psilocybin therapy was associated with greater increases in WCS scores compared with the escitalopram arm ( η p 2 = 0.133, p = 0.009).
Conclusions: The WCS is a new 3-dimensional index of felt connectedness that may sensitively measure therapeutically relevant psychological changes post-psychedelic use. We believe that the operational definition of connectedness captured by the WCS may have broad relevance in mental health research.