Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41389560›Full record

ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2026

Difficulties following naturalistic psychedelic use and associations with adverse childhood experiences.

Michelle Olofsson, Walter Osika, Simon B Goldberg, Peter S Hendricks, Predrag Petrovic, Tonya White, Cecilia U D Stenfors, Sankalp Chaturvedi, Otto Simonsson

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In one paragraph

Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Michelle OlofssonDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Section on Social and Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Walter OsikaDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Simon B GoldbergDepartment of Counseling Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Peter S HendricksDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
Predrag PetrovicDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Tonya WhiteSection on Social and Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Cecilia U D StenforsDepartment of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Sankalp ChaturvediDepartment of Management and Entrepreneurship, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Otto SimonssonDepartment of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA. Electronic address: otto.simonsson@ki.se.

Funding

Research within the Section on Social and Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience ZIAMH002986 · NIMH · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH · PI WHITE, TONYA · 2023 to 2025
$6.3M
Mindfulness training delivered via mobile health to reduce depression and anxietyK23AT010879 · NCCIH · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI GOLDBERG, SIMON B · 2020 to 2024
$786k
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA MH002986NCCIH NIH HHS K23 AT010879
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNaturalistic psychedelic use can result in a range of difficulties that impair social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. Yet, the prevalence, phenomenology, and etiology of these outcomes remain poorly understood. Recent qualitative research has shown that individuals with long-term difficulties after psychedelic use sometimes attribute their challenges to childhood trauma. Further studies are needed to investigate these relationships.

methodsIn this cross-sectional mixed-methods study of U.S. adults with lifetime psychedelic use (n = 3168), we examined the prevalence, duration, and nature of psychedelic-related difficulties, as well as associations with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

resultsOf all participants (n = 3168), most (n = 2785, 87.9 %) reported no difficulties; 6.4 % (n = 203) reported post-acute difficulties that lasted for more than one day, and 1.3 % (n = 40) for more than one year. Among those who reported difficulties (n = 383), 47 % (n = 180) reported that their difficulties resolved in one day or less. The most frequently reported post-acute difficulties were general anxiety (33.9 %), negative changes in self-concept (25.9 %), and social disconnection (23.0 %). In covariate-adjusted regression models, 2 ACEs (aOR: 2.24, p = 0.007), 3 ACEs (aOR: 2.27, p = 0.006), and ≥4 ACEs (aOR: 2.84, p < 0.001) were associated with higher odds of psychedelic-related difficulties compared to 0 ACEs. ≥4 ACEs were also associated with higher odds of difficulties that lasted more than one day (aOR: 2.37, p = 0.015) and more than one week (aOR: 2.89, p = 0.042).

conclusionThere are a range of difficulties that can follow psychedelic use and childhood adversity may represent a risk factor for persistent adverse effects.

Indexed as

Adverse Childhood ExperiencesHallucinogensSubstance-Related DisordersAdolescentAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceTime FactorsUnited StatesYoung AdultHallucinogensAdverseChallenging experiencesChildhoodPsilocybinPsychedelicsTrauma

Identifiers

PMID41389560
PMCPMC12758006

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.