Examining associations between MDMA/ecstasy and classic psychedelic use and impairments in social functioning in a U.S. adult sample

Grant Jones; Joshua Lipson; Erica Wang

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29763-x

Examining associations between MDMA/ecstasy and classic psychedelic use and impairments in social functioning in a U.S. adult sample

Grant Jones, Joshua Lipson, Erica Wang

Scientific Reports February 11, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29763-x (opens in new tab)

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Characteristics	Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed
Sample size	214,505
Population	U.S. adults
Topics	MDMA
Keywords	Psychedelics Social anxiety Mental health
Citations	2
Key findings	Lifetime MDMA/ecstasy use was associated with lower odds of three social impairment outcomes, and lifetime mescaline use with lower odds of difficulty dealing with strangers, while other psychedelics showed no benefit or increased odds of social difficulties.

Abstract

Abstract Impairment in social functioning is a common source of morbidity across many mental health disorders, yet there is a dearth of effective and easily implemented interventions to support social functioning. MDMA/ecstasy and classic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, peyote, mescaline) represent two potential treatments for impairments in social functioning, as evidence suggests these compounds may be supportive for alleviating social difficulties. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015–2019) ( N = 214,505) , we used survey-weighted multivariable ordinal and logistic regression to examine the associations between lifetime use of the aforementioned compounds and impairments in social functioning in the past year. Lifetime MDMA/ecstasy use was associated with lowered odds of three of our four social impairment outcomes: difficulty dealing with strangers (aOR 0.92), difficulty participating in social activities (aOR 0.90), and being prevented from participating in social activities (aOR 0.84). Lifetime mescaline use was also associated with lowered odds of difficulty dealing with strangers (aOR 0.85). All other substances either shared no relationship with impairments in social functioning or conferred increased odds of our outcomes. Future experimental studies can assess whether these relationships are causal.

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

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