Rapid Effects of MDMA Administration on Self-Reported Personality Traits and Affect State: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults.
Jessica L Maples-Keller, Courtland S Hyatt, Nathaniel L Phillips, Brinkley M Sharpe, Andrew M. Sherrill, Carly Yasinski, Collin Reiff, Jeffrey J. Rakofsky, Sheila A. M. Rauch, Boadie W Dunlop, Barbara O Rothbaum
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs October 23, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2024.2420044 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Cross-sectional Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Duration | 48 hours after drug administration |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | Affect Clinical trial Psychedelic research Clinical psychology Personality traits MDMA Therapy Emotional well-being |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | MDMA administration did not produce statistically significant changes in the four a priori hypotheses, but medium effect sizes were observed for increased trait Openness and Positive Affect 48 hours later compared to placebo. |
Abstract
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for PTSD and emerging research suggests a change in personality traits may be a factor in treatment response. Most prior research on MDMA and personality has focused on cross-sectional comparisons of MDMA users and non-users; as such, well-controlled research assessing personality and affective states change following MDMA vs placebo administration is needed. In the current pre-registered study, we investigated the impact of MDMA administration on five-factor model (FFM) traits and affective states before and 48 h after drug administration in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of healthy adults (N = 34). Statistical significance was not observed for the four a priori hypotheses; however, medium effect sizes were found between MDMA administration and trait Openness and Positive Affect 48 h following drug administration, compared to placebo (d = .79 and .51, respectively). This study provides initial results to help guide future well-powered studies with large samples and longer follow-up timepoints to continue to investigate how MDMA impacts personality and emotional experience, which may inform optimization of MDMA treatment approaches.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 24
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- The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology July 19, 2010
- Durability of improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: a prospective long-term follow-up study. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2013
- Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry July 12, 2022
- Effects of psilocybin therapy on personality structure Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica June 19, 2018
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