Development of the Protective Strategies for Psychedelics Scale: A novel inventory to assess safety strategies in the context of psychedelics
Maha N. Mian, Brianna R. Altman, Fiona Low, Mitch Earleywine
Journal of Psychopharmacology December 4, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1177/02698811231214060 via OpenAlex
Summary
A new scale, the Protective Strategies for Psychedelics Scale (PSPS), was developed to assess protective strategies used by individuals who consume psychedelics. In a sample of 434 adults with lifetime psychedelic use, the PSPS showed excellent reliability and identified two factors: long-term preparation (19 items) and short-term preparation (13 items). The PSPS correlated well with existing protective behavioral scales for other substances and was moderately associated with lifetime psychedelic use.
Study at a glance
| Sample size | 434 |
|---|---|
| Population | adults with lifetime use of psychedelics |
| Key finding | The PSPS demonstrates promising psychometric properties and identifies two key factors related to protective strategies in psychedelic use. |
Abstract
Background: Individuals who use psychedelics take efforts to mitigate unintended consequences. Despite the demonstrated utility of analogous protective behavioral strategies (PBS) assessments for other substances, no standardized scale exists to capture these protective strategies for psychedelic use. Objective: The present study addresses a notable gap concerning the assessment of psychedelic use, specifically by developing a scale measuring the protective strategies employed around use, called the Protective Strategies for Psychedelics Scale (PSPS). Methods: A sample ( M age = 36.85 years old, standard deviation = 10.3; male = 61.9%; White = 85.2%) of 434 adults with lifetime use of psychedelics reported on initial qualitatively developed items for the PSPS, PBS scales for cannabis and alcohol, and use of alcohol, cannabis, and psychedelics. Results: Iterative principal components analyses began with 37 items and yielded a 32-item two-factor solution demonstrating excellent internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = .95) and accounted for 51.3% of the variance. Nineteen items loaded on PSPS factor 1, which focused on long-term preparation, emphasizing strategies focused on mood/intentions, preparing the substance, environment, and scheduling episode of use; 13 items loaded on factor 2, which focused on short-term preparation, highlighting strategies surrounding social context, health, and other substances. The PSPS demonstrated convergent validity with validated PBS scales for cannabis and alcohol ( r = 0.71–0.79, p < 0.001), and was moderately associated with lifetime psychedelic use ( r = 0.28, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The PSPS demonstrates promising psychometric properties, and future work validating the scale for diverse samples across research and clinical settings is warranted.