Scientific Reports
October 29, 2022
Marija Franka Žuljević, Ivan Buljan, Mia Leskur et al.
34 citations
A new 20-item questionnaire, the Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire (APQ), was developed and tested in a Croatian general population sample of 1153 participants. The APQ has four sub-scales: Legal Use, Effects, Risk Assessment, and Openness to Psychedelics. It showed excellent reliability and strong correlations with a similar unvalidated measure, supporting its validity. Younger age, male gender, and lower educational status were associated with more positive attitudes. People who knew more about psychedelics also held more favorable attitudes. The APQ can be used to assess educational interventions, patient outcomes, and expert attitudes, but further validation in English is needed.
Sci Rep
August 12, 2024
Marija Franka Žuljević, Darko Hren, Dawid Storman et al.
9 citations
European psychiatrists generally hold positive attitudes toward psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy but remain concerned about potential risks. In a survey of 419 psychiatrists from 33 countries, one-third reported past personal use of psychedelics. The highest-rated attitude sub-scale was Openness to Psychedelics, while Risk Assessment was rated lowest. Younger, male, spiritually identified psychiatrists who could better recognize psychedelic substances and had personal experience with them showed more favorable attitudes. Professional experience with psychedelic therapy or research also predicted positive attitudes, but other professional variables did not. The findings suggest that impartiality on the topic is difficult.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2024
Marija Franka Žuljević, Nando Breški, Mariano Kaliterna et al.
6 citations
Psychiatrists in Europe who are not involved in psychedelic research see both promise and risk in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). Based on interviews with 12 specialists and trainees from 8 countries, four themes emerged: psychedelics hold potential, they are dangerous, their future is uncertain, and psychiatry is ambivalent toward them. Respondents acknowledged PAP's potential but considered its evidence base not yet robust enough. They reported that education on psychedelics is lacking in medical and psychiatric training and should be improved to help mental health experts participate in decisions about PAP.