Examining Attitudes to Psilocybin: Should Candidates for Medical Psilocybin be Required to Pass a Contextual Suitability Test?
Mark Molumby, Keith Gaynor, Suzanne Guérin, Róisín Mcnamara
Journal of Humanistic Psychology August 18, 2022 DOI: 10.1177/00221678221110331 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 219 |
| Population | Adults aged 18 to 68, including those with and without prior psychedelic use |
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Clinical psychology Openness to experience Test biology Criterion validity Scale ratio Construct validity Psychometrics |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | A model of positive set, openness to experience, and lower extraversion significantly predicted attitudes toward psilocybin. |
Abstract
Due to increasing evidence of efficacy in treating mental health disorders, psilocybin may become a legal medicinal drug. This study tested the validity of Carhart-Harris and Nutt’s (2017) model of extra-pharmacological (EP) factors. It examined whether such factors should be considered in any psychological suitability test for medicinally prescribed psilocybin. Two hundred nineteen participants (101 self-identified females, 109 males, seven nonbinary people, and two who preferred not to say), in an age range of 18 to 68 years, completed three online measures of personality— Set, Setting, and Intention—and the Attitudes Toward Psilocybin (ATP) scale. The sample was equally divided between those who had used psychedelics (52.1%) and those who had no previous psychedelic use (47.5%). A series of stepwise linear regressions were run to examine whether EP factors predicted ATP scores. The ATP scale was tested for reliability, construct validity, and determinant validity and was deemed an appropriate measure. A model consisting of a positive Set, Openness to Experience, and lower Extraversion significantly predicted ATP scores. These findings supported the EP model and suggested that a suitability test may be a useful tool when determining whether a prescription of psilocybin is an appropriate course of treatment.