Perceptions of Psychedelics: University Students' Attitudes and Motives for Psilocybin Use
| dc.contributor.author | Frinton, Shayla | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-03-16T14:33:20Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-03-16T14:33:20Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: Motives are a highly influential force in substance use and may vary depending on the substance or dose being used (Barber et al., 2016; Votaw & Witkiewitz, 2021). However, little research has compared motives for microdosing and macrodosing psilocybin. Additionally, scarce literature has explored the public's attitudes toward recreational psilocybin use and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAT). The current study examines whether attitudes differ amongst psilocybin users and non-users and whether motives differ for microdose and macrodose psilocybin use. Methods: A survey was employed to examine differences in motivations on an adapted Marijuana Motives Measure (Simons et al., 1998) and differences in attitudes on an adapted Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire (Žuljević et al., 2022). Additionally, a thematic analysis was conducted to explore qualitative responses regarding attitudes and motives for psilocybin use. Results: As hypothesized, there was a statistically significant difference in attitudes of psilocybin users and non-users, and in the motives for microdosing and macrodosing psilocybin. Qualitative results indicated that participants had more positive attitudes towards PAT than recreational psilocybin use, that motivations for initiating and continuing use may differ, and that there is a need for more education on psilocybin use. These findings have important implications for PAT, harm reduction, and education efforts. | |
| dc.description.reviewstatus | Reviewed | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Undergraduate | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/16134 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of Victoria | |
| dc.subject | psychedelics | |
| dc.subject | Psilocybin | |
| dc.subject | attitudes | |
| dc.subject | motivations | |
| dc.subject | substance use | |
| dc.title | Perceptions of Psychedelics: University Students' Attitudes and Motives for Psilocybin Use | |
| dc.type | Poster |