Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities
June 1, 2025
Sean Matthew Viña
19 citations
Among Black and Hispanic people, using psychedelics is not linked to lower psychological distress after accounting for socioeconomic status, whereas white users still show lower distress. For Asian individuals with higher education and income, some psychedelic use is actually associated with increased distress. These findings support the minority diminished psychedelic returns theory, which holds that racism and socioeconomic inequality reduce the mental-health benefits of psychedelics for racial and ethnic minorities. The analysis used data from over 458,000 adults in a national survey and examined several psychedelics including MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, ayahuasca, peyote/mescaline, and LSD.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 16, 2023
Sean Matthew Viña, Amanda Layne Stephens
18 citations
Classic psychedelic use is associated with lower psychological distress among employed, volunteer, retired, or permanently disabled individuals, but with higher distress among unemployed people, full-time students, and homemakers. Data from 484,732 participants in the 2008–2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health indicate that psychedelic users work longer hours per week before stress increases. Lifetime classic psychedelic use and employment are independently linked to better health, and psychedelics are unlikely to negatively affect employment outcomes.
Psychoactives
June 2, 2024
Sean Matthew Viña
9 citations
Psychedelics such as MDMA, psilocybin, DMT, ayahuasca, peyote/mescaline, and LSD do not consistently reduce the impact of psychological distress on internalized stigma. Among men, ayahuasca use was linked to reduced stigma perception associated with higher distress; among women, DMT use was linked to reduced stigma perceptions when experiencing higher distress. However, individuals who used MDMA or psilocybin reported heightened perceptions of stigma alongside increased psychological distress, especially among women. Overall, psychedelics may not help manage the internalized stigma that deters formal mental health treatment.
Healthcare
May 16, 2025
Sean Matthew Viña
5 citations
Structural inequalities in healthcare access may shape how people experience the psychological effects of psychedelics. Analyzing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2019; 484,732 participants), private health insurance was associated with lower psychological distress, while public insurance was associated with higher distress. Psychedelic use moderated these associations: it reinforced the protective pattern linked to private insurance and intensified distress among those with public coverage. Among women, psilocybin and LSD use were linked to lower distress for those with private insurance but higher distress for those with public insurance; among men, psychedelic use did not significantly alter the association. Psychedelics do not mitigate structural inequalities and may exacerbate them.
Psychoactives
September 4, 2025
Sean Matthew Viña
2 citations
Psychedelic use relates to mental health treatment-seeking differently across racial groups. Among White individuals, psychedelic use is associated with a lower likelihood of seeking formal mental health care. In contrast, among Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) individuals, psychedelic use is linked to increased odds of accessing mental health services. These patterns suggest that psychedelics may serve culturally distinct roles in coping with psychological distress, influenced by structural stigma and perceptions of the formal treatment system. The analysis uses national survey data from 2008 to 2019 with over 458,000 respondents.