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.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey study of challenging experiences after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms: Acute and enduring positive and negative consequences Individuals who had consumed psilocybin mushrooms and experienced a psychologically... | 2016 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 1,993 |
| 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 |
| Cessation and reduction in alcohol consumption and misuse after psychedelic use Individuals with prior alcohol use disorder who reported cessation or reduction in... | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 343 |
| Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 149 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Salience, sensemaking, and setting in psilocybin microdosing: Methodological lessons and preliminary findings of a mixed method qualitative study Philosophical Psychology September 26, 2024
- Classic psychedelics and personality: An updated systematic review. Journal of Psychopharmacology May 31, 2026
- Who believes psychedelic-assisted therapies work? Risky cannabis use and other factors are associated with positive treatment-outcome expectancies
Cites 17
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
- Constructing drug effects: A history of set and setting Drug Science, Policy and Law 2017
- Predicting Responses to Psychedelics: A Prospective Study Frontiers in Pharmacology November 2, 2018
- Prediction of Psilocybin Response in Healthy Volunteers PLoS One February 17, 2012
and 12 more in the library