“Partying” Hard: Party Style, Motives for and Effects of MDMA Use at Rave Parties
Tom F. M. Ter Bogt, Rutger C. M. E. Engels
Substance Use & Misuse 2005 DOI: 10.1081/ja-200066822 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 490 |
| Population | Visitors of three types of rave parties (club/mellow, trance/mainstream, hardcore) in the Netherlands |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Citations | 144 |
| Key findings | MDMA use at dance parties is driven by expected energetic and euphoric effects, with women experiencing more acute negative effects than men, especially when motivated to cope with problems. |
Abstract
This study examines motives for and consequences of MDMA use at different types of dance parties in the Netherlands (2001 and 2002). Participants were 490 visitors of three different types of rave parties, "club/mellow," "trance/mainstream," and "hardcore" (34% female, mean age 22.3 years, 76.5% MDMA users). Partygoers are motivated primarily by the energetic and euphoric effects they expect from MDMA. Quantity of MDMA use is associated with hardcore and trance/mainstream party style, with the motives of euphoria, sexiness, self-insight, and sociability/flirtatiousness (negative), and with gender, educational level (negative), and MDMA use by friends. Women report more (acute) negative effects--depression, confusion, loss of control, suspiciousness, edginess, nausea, dizziness--than men; and in particular, women who are motivated to cope with their problems by using MDMA are at risk. Men's polydrug use and notably their motivation to conform to friends by using MDMA are associated with negative effects.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recreational MDMA use in Sydney: a profile of ‘Ecstasy’ users and their experiences with the drug Recreational Ecstasy users recruited via snowball peer network | 1992 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 100 |
| Reducedin vivobinding to the serotonin transporter in the cerebral cortex of MDMA (‘ecstasy’) users Male regular ecstasy users and well-matched controls | 1999 | Cross-sectional association study | n = 20 |
| Patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use in drug using university students Drug-using university students | 2006 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 149 |
| Patterns of recreational drug use at dance events in Edinburgh, Scotland Drug users at dance events in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, aged 16-47, 80% between 18 and... | 2001 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 122 |
| Acute, sub‐acute and long‐term subjective consequences of ‘ecstasy’ (MDMA) consumption in 430 regular users Regular MDMA users | 2003 | Cross-sectional study | n = 466 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 35
- MDMA in humans: factors which affect the neuropsychobiological profiles of recreational ecstasy users, the integrative role of bioenergetic stress Journal of Psychopharmacology March 1, 2006
- The effects of MDMA on socio-emotional processing: Does MDMA differ from other stimulants? Journal of Psychopharmacology August 26, 2016
- MDMA alters emotional processing and facilitates positive social interaction Psychopharmacology April 12, 2014
- ‘Ecstasy’ as a social drug: MDMA preferentially affects responses to emotional stimuli with social content Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 27, 2014
- Motives for the use of serotonergic psychedelics: A systematic review. Drug and Alcohol Review September 1, 2022
and 30 more in the library
Cites 8
- Mood and cognitive effects of ± 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’): week‐end ‘high’ followed by mid‐week low Addiction July 1, 1997
- Human Research on MDMA (3,4-Methylene- dioxymethamphetamine) Neurotoxicity: Cognitive and Behavioural Indices of Change Neuropsychobiology 2000
- Is MDMA (‘Ecstasy’) Neurotoxic in Humans? An Overview of Evidence and of Methodological Problems in Research Neuropsychobiology 2000
- Ecstasy (MDMA) in Recreational Users: Self-Reported Psychological and Physiological Effects Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental May 1, 1997
- “Dancestasy”: Dance and MDMA Use in Dutch Youth Culture Contemporary Drug Problems March 1, 2002
and 3 more in the library