Skip to content

Matthew K Nock

Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.

4 papers in the library · 137 citations · publishing 2022-2023

Papers

MDMA/ecstasy use and psilocybin use are associated with lowered odds of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts in a sample of US adults

Journal of Psychopharmacology January 1, 2022 Grant M Jones, Matthew K Nock 60 citations

Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy or psilocybin is linked to lower odds of suicidal thinking and psychological distress, while LSD use is linked to higher odds of suicidal thinking. Among 484,732 U.S. adults surveyed from 2008 to 2019, MDMA/ecstasy use was associated with 10% lower odds of past-year suicidal thinking and 12% lower odds of suicidal planning. Psilocybin use was associated with 22% lower odds of past-month psychological distress and 10% lower odds of past-year suicidal thinking. LSD use was associated with 7% higher odds of past-year suicidal thinking. These non-causal associations suggest potential therapeutic value but require experimental confirmation.

DOI: 10.1177/02698811211058923 Ecstasy MDMA Psilocybin Odds ratio +11

Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy and psilocybin is associated with reduced odds of major depressive episodes

Journal of Psychopharmacology January 1, 2022 Grant M Jones, Matthew K Nock 40 citations

Lifetime use of MDMA/ecstasy was associated with 16% lower odds of a major depressive episode (MDE) over a person's lifetime, the past year, and severe past-year MDE. Psilocybin use was linked to 10% lower odds of a past-year MDE and 13% lower odds of a severe past-year MDE. Other illegal or misused substances either showed no association with MDE or were linked to increased odds. The findings come from a large US sample and suggest a potential protective relationship, but experimental studies are needed to test causality.

DOI: 10.1177/02698811211066714 Ecstasy Psilocybin MDMA Hallucinogen +10

Psilocybin use is associated with lowered odds of crime arrests in US adults: A replication and extension

Journal of Psychopharmacology January 1, 2022 Grant M Jones, Matthew K Nock 30 citations

Lifetime use of psilocybin was linked to lower odds of arrest for seven of eleven crime categories, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.30 to 0.73. Peyote use was associated with reduced odds of motor vehicle theft (aOR = 0.30) and driving under the influence (aOR = 0.52), while mescaline use was associated with reduced odds of drug possession or sale (aOR = 0.51). Most other substances showed no relationship or were linked to higher odds of arrest. The findings suggest classic psychedelic substances may be associated with lowered criminal behavior, but further research is needed to explore causal or third-variable explanations.

DOI: 10.1177/02698811211058933 Psilocybin Mescaline Recidivism Psychiatry +10

A Digital Music-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Black Americans With Elevated Race-Based Anxiety: A Multiple-Baseline Pilot Study.

JMIR formative research August 16, 2023 Grant Jones, Felipe Herrmann, Matthew K Nock 7 citations

A digital music-based mindfulness intervention significantly reduced race-based anxiety in middle-to-low-income Black Americans. The web-based study used a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design with five participants and featured contributions from a meditation teacher and a former presidential speechwriter. State anxiety decreased substantially after the intervention, with Tau-U effect sizes ranging from -0.75 to -0.38. Feasibility and acceptability were high, with participants rating their likelihood of recommending the intervention at 98 out of 100 on average. The intervention was designed to overcome common barriers to mindfulness treatments for Black Americans, such as high costs, time commitments, and limited cultural relevance.

DOI: 10.2196/49284 Full text Anxiety Meditation Mindfulness Black community +6