Turn on, Tune in, and Drop out: Predictors of Attrition in a Prospective Observational Cohort Study on Psychedelic Use
Journal of Medical Internet Research May 4, 2021 Sebastian Hübner, Eline Haijen, Mendel Kaelen et al. 23 citations
In web-based studies that track people before and after they use psychedelics, many participants stop responding, which can bias the results. Analyzing data from 654 initial participants, younger age, lower education, higher extraversion, and lower conscientiousness predicted dropping out before the four-week endpoint. Neither positive attitudes toward psychedelics nor intense challenging experiences during the drug session predicted dropout. These attrition patterns match those seen in other long-term studies, suggesting they are not unique to psychedelic research. The absence of dropout linked to psychedelic advocacy or negative drug experiences reduces concerns about certain biases in this type of data.