Undergraduate Students' Perceptions and Understanding of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
Start Date
April 2025
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
Psychedelics have shown significant therapeutic benefit for those struggling with their mental health (Luoma et al., 2020). Previous research has suggested that mental health practitioners hold favorable attitudes towards psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) but lack the proper knowledge to counsel clients on the subject (Kucsera et al., 2023). As PAT becomes more mainstream, it is important to understand the attitudes of those currently in or planning to enter the mental health field. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate students’ attitudes toward PAT compared to more conventional mental health treatment modalities. This study also investigated the accuracy of students’ knowledge regarding PAT and the classic psychedelic, psilocybin. A total of 50 undergraduate students participated in this study. Participants were presented with four vignettes, which were counterbalanced to reduce order effects: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), PAT, and self-medication with psilocybin. Participants had to respond to a set of statements regarding their attitudes toward the treatment after each vignette. Then, they were asked to respond to statements assessing their knowledge of PAT. A one-way, repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of treatment type on students’ perceptions, such that attitudes were most favorable toward the CBT treatment, followed by SSRI, then PAT, and finally self-medication. All the differences were statistically significant (p < .001). Despite demonstrating fairly accurate knowledge of PAT and psilocybin, participants held less favorable attitudes towards psychedelic use for mental health treatment, especially in comparison to CBT and SSRI treatments.
Undergraduate Students' Perceptions and Understanding of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
2nd floor - Library
Psychedelics have shown significant therapeutic benefit for those struggling with their mental health (Luoma et al., 2020). Previous research has suggested that mental health practitioners hold favorable attitudes towards psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) but lack the proper knowledge to counsel clients on the subject (Kucsera et al., 2023). As PAT becomes more mainstream, it is important to understand the attitudes of those currently in or planning to enter the mental health field. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate students’ attitudes toward PAT compared to more conventional mental health treatment modalities. This study also investigated the accuracy of students’ knowledge regarding PAT and the classic psychedelic, psilocybin. A total of 50 undergraduate students participated in this study. Participants were presented with four vignettes, which were counterbalanced to reduce order effects: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), PAT, and self-medication with psilocybin. Participants had to respond to a set of statements regarding their attitudes toward the treatment after each vignette. Then, they were asked to respond to statements assessing their knowledge of PAT. A one-way, repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of treatment type on students’ perceptions, such that attitudes were most favorable toward the CBT treatment, followed by SSRI, then PAT, and finally self-medication. All the differences were statistically significant (p < .001). Despite demonstrating fairly accurate knowledge of PAT and psilocybin, participants held less favorable attitudes towards psychedelic use for mental health treatment, especially in comparison to CBT and SSRI treatments.
