Personality and Drug Use (PDU)

This observational, naturalistic study (n=1000), conducted by the Psychedelic Data Society (with the Quantified Citizen app), is set to explore the relationship between substance use and personality profiles.

Specifically, it aims to discern if individuals with varying histories of drug use, including psychedelic and non-psychedelic substances, exhibit distinct personality traits. The study utilises the Big Five Inventory-44 (BFI) and a self-created Retrospective Personality Scale (RPS) to measure current personality profiles and perceived retrospective personality changes.

It targets a diverse global audience through a mobile app-based survey, ensuring accessibility and participant anonymity. Results will be shared with participants, offering personalised summaries compared against aggregated data from similar demographic profiles.

This extensive, budget-friendly study aims to fill the knowledge gap in this field, laying the groundwork for future research. The Psychedelic Data Society, in collaboration with Maastricht University and Quantified Citizen Technologies, aims to commence this study in November 2022 and conclude by November 2023 (but is now past the due date).

Trial Details

The study aims to assess the association between the use of various substances (including psychedelic and non-psychedelic drugs) and personality profiles. Specifically, the study will investigate if people with different histories of drug use differ in personality profiles. As psychedelics were found to influence changes in personality over time, the investigators sought to measure both the current personality profile (via the Big Five Inventory-44 (BFI)) and perceived retrospective changes in personality (via a self-constructed Retrospective Personality Scale (RPS). To investigators' knowledge, no study has explored the diversity of substance use histories in relation to individual current and retrospective personality traits and aggregate personality profiles. The investigators aim to survey a large number of participants from all around the world, using a mobile app-based survey. The remote character of the study will increase its accessibility and diversity, which are common shortcomings in the psychedelic line of research. Additionally, a remote and anonymous study setup with no face-to-face interactions might help overcome any potential concerns participants may have regarding the sharing of sensitive information (e.g., reports on illicit substance use). To increase scientific transparency and for educational purposes (comparing personalized results with the aggregated results of participants with similar socio-demographic profiles), investigators plan to share personalized results summaries with participants of the study, which might be an additional motivating factor for study completion. In conclusion, this large-scale, low-budget, naturalistic, retrospective, observational study aims to shed light on the aforementioned gap in the literature and lay a foundation of evidence for further research.

NCT Number NCT05516823

Data attribution

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