Date

7-15-2024

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Donna Busarow

Keywords

Peer Recovery Support Specialists, Psychedelics, Depression, Attitudes

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin are derived from various naturally occurring plants and fungi. During the 1950s and 60s, a great deal of research was conducted to examine the use of psychedelics to treat mental health conditions. However, research was halted in 1970 as a result of political and social pressure. Since 2000, there has been a renewed interest in the potential therapeutic value of psychedelics to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. There has also been an increasing curiosity regarding attitudes towards psychedelics. While current attitudinal research has primarily focused on mental health providers, and patients, an important end-user group that has been ignored is peer recovery support specialists (PRSSs). PRSS play a crucial role in assisting patients with engaging in treatment, advocating for new treatment options and helping to shape policies. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine PRSSs' attitudes toward the therapeutic use of psychedelics to treat depression. A voluntary sample of 75 participants were recruited for the study. Data on attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs, as well as demographic variables influencing PRSSs' attitudes was examined including the PRSSs' previous level of exposure to psychedelic use and the PRSSs' history of being diagnosed with depression. Results from the study showed a greater percentage of PRSSs held positive attitudes compared to either the neutral or negative attitudinal groups X2 (52, 58) 116, p=<.001. Results also showed that PRSSs with more positive attitudes had significantly higher knowledge mean scores compared to PRSSs with either negative attitudes or PRSSs with neutral attitudes (M = 3.85, SD =.820; M =2.06, SD =1.01; M = 2.42, SD =1.02). While PRSSs previously diagnosed with depression appear to have a greater mean attitudinal item score, compared to those who had not previously been diagnosed with depression, the difference was not significant (M = 26.20, SD = 9.98; M = 24.58, SD = 9.27), t(55) = -.505, p=.760. PRSSs diagnosed with depression vs PRSSs not diagnosed with depression did not differ in whether they held positive, neutral, or negative attitudes toward the use of psilocybin to treat depression X2 (2, N = 57) = .611, p = .737. PRSSs who had personally used psilocybin to treat symptoms of depression vs PRSSs who had not held more favorable attitudes toward the therapeutic use of psilocybin to treat depression t(56) = -3.50, p=<.001. These results allowed for the rejection of the null hypothesis that PRSSs' history of using psilocybin to treat depression would not be positively related to their attitudes toward the therapeutic use of psilocybin to treat depression thus suggesting there is a positive relationship between prior use of psilocybin to treat depression and positive attitudes towards the therapeutic use of psilocybin.

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