Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions About Medical Cannabis

Jacobs, Robin J.; Kane, Michael N.; Caballero, Joshua

doi:10.7759/cureus.24390

Cited by 5 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…4) "I have good knowledge of the side effects of psilocybin." The items for this scale were adapted from Jacobs and colleagues’ study on perceptions of medical psilocybin among medical students [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5) "Using psilocybin poses serious physical health risks, as adapted from Jacobs and colleagues." [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The survey used Likert-type items with a six-point response scale (1=strongly agree to 6=strongly disagree), categorical items, and yes/no questions. Many of the items were adapted from various published studies, mostly regarding the use of medical cannabis as no measures specific to medical psilocybin could be found [7,[24][25][26][27][28][29]. The content areas assessed are delineated below.…”

Section: The Instrumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Use in Medical Practice

Wang¹,

Sun²,

Nava³

et al. 2023

Cureus

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BackgroundPsilocybin use, along with other psychedelics, has seen an increased interest among professionals in the medical community due to its potential therapeutic benefits for psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders (SUD), and palliative care. While it is certain that more research is necessary as psychedelicassisted therapy becomes more prevalent, it will most likely be future physicians at the forefront of this neoteric care. Currently, physicians receive minimal training because of psilocybin's contextual information and its current enlistment as a Schedule 1 drug per the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Schedule 1 drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. As a rule, formal education on psilocybin is not included in medical school curricula, and very little is known about how medical students perceive it. The aim of this study was thus to assess current medical students' perceptions of their knowledge, concern for possible negative effects, and perceptions about medical psilocybin to provide a deeper understanding of which factors may predict their overall perceptions of its future therapeutic use. MethodsMedical students' knowledge, concern for potential adverse effects, and perceptions of medical psilocybin were investigated using a cross-sectional survey study design. Data were collected in January 2023 from a convenience sample of United States medical students in years one to four of their program using a 41-item anonymous quantitative online survey. Multivariate linear regression modeling was performed to determine if perceived knowledge and beliefs about legalization would predict medical students' attitudes about psilocybin use for therapeutic purposes. ResultsTwo hundred and thirteen medical students completed the survey. Seventy-three percent (n=155) were osteopathic medical students (OMS), and 27% (n=58) were allopathic medical students (MDS). Regression modeling produced a statistically significant equation: (F(3, 13) = 78.858, p < .001), with an R 2 = 0.573 (adjusted R 2 = 0.567), indicating that greater (perceived) knowledge about medical psilocybin, less concern for its possible adverse effects, and greater belief in the legalization of psilocybin for recreational use significantly contributed to positive perceptions of psilocybin use in medical practice. ConclusionsIn this sample, medical students with greater self-assessment of their knowledge about medical psilocybin, less concern for its potential adverse effects, and more positive views about recreational psilocybin legalization predicted positive attitudes about its medical use. Interestingly, although some participants had positive perceptions about the legalization of psilocybin for medical use, endorsing its legalization for recreation was related to greater positive attitudes toward medical psilocybin in general, a finding that appears to be somewhat counterintuitive. More research is warranted to further explore medical trainees' ...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5) "Using psilocybin poses serious physical health risks, as adapted from Jacobs and colleagues." [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Instrumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Use in Medical Practice

Wang¹,

Sun²,

Nava³

et al. 2023

Cureus

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Given that tomorrow's psychiatrists are today's medical students, it is pertinent to consider medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards psychedelics. To date, only three studies on this topic have been published (26)(27)(28). In a sample of 213 US medical students, 83% and 52% of respondents believed that psilocybin should be legalised for recreational use and medical use, respectively (26).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, only three studies on this topic have been published (26)(27)(28). In a sample of 213 US medical students, 83% and 52% of respondents believed that psilocybin should be legalised for recreational use and medical use, respectively (26). Students with greater self-reported knowledge of psilocybin and fewer concerns about potential negative effects reported more positive overall perceptions regarding the medical use of psilocybin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study

Song-Smith,

Jacobs,

Rucker

et al. 2023

Preprint

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ObjectiveTo capture UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and to explore the factors associated with support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research.DesignCross-sectional, anonymous online survey of UK medical students using a non-random sampling method.SettingUK medical schools recognised by the General Medical Council.ParticipantsThe sample consisted of 132 medical students who had spent an average of 3.8 years (SD=1.4; range: 1 to 6) in medical school.ResultsMost students (83%) reported that they were aware of psychedelic research and only four participants (3%) said that they were not interested in learning more about this type of research. Although medical students’ harm assessment of psychedelics closely aligned with that of experts, only 17% of students felt well-educated on psychedelic research. Teachings on psychedelics were only rarely encountered in their curriculum. Time spent at medical schools was not associated with more knowledge about psychedelics. On average, this sample of medical students showed strong support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research into their potential clinical applications. Regression modelling indicated that greater knowledge of psychedelics, lower estimated harm scores, more time spent in medical school, and lower perceived effectiveness of nonpharmacological mental health treatments were associated with a support for legal status change.ConclusionsThis is the first study to explore UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards psychedelics and their application in clinical research. Our findings reveal a significant interest among medical students to learn more about psychedelic research and a strong support for further psychedelic research. Future studies are needed to examine how medical education could be refined to adequately prepare medical students for a changing healthcare landscape in which psychedelic-assisted therapy could soon be implemented in clinical practice.Strengths and limitations of this studyThis study presents the first survey of UK medical students’ attitudes towards psychedelics and their application in clinical research.The wide-ranging assessment included medical students’ self-reported knowledge of psychedelics, a multidimensional harm assessment of psychedelics, level of support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research into their potential clinical applications, and students’ perceptions of medical education on psychedelics and psychedelic research.The cross-sectional nature of our data prevented us from drawing causal conclusions about potential changes in students’ attitudes and knowledge over time.The limited range of demographic variables did not allow for an in-depth characterisation of this sample and important predictors of attitudes might have been missed. Non-random sampling and selection bias could have impacted the generalisability of our findings as students already interested in drugs might have been more likely to participate.

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Public Knowledge, Perceptions, and Behavioral Intention Regarding Medical Cannabis in Belgium

Pav,

Haesaert,

De Steur

2023

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

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Growing evidence on medical cannabis has moved its legislation forward in various countries, which has increased research on stakeholder reactions. While various studies looked at experts and users, research on public perceptions is scarce. This study aims to (1) examine the relationships between knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intention toward medical cannabis, and (2) identify and profile key segments within the general public. An online survey was conducted among 656 respondents in Belgium. Findings showed that both subjective and objective knowledge are relatively poor, while risk/benefit perceptions and behavioral intention are much more positive. Subjective and objective knowledge as well as social trust have a negative influence on risk perceptions and a positive influence on benefit perceptions. In turn, risk and benefit perceptions are key determinants of behavioral intention, but in opposite directions. Furthermore, cluster analysis identified a cautious (23% of the sample), positive (50%), and enthusiastic cluster (27%). In terms of socio-demographic profile, older and highly educated people were significantly more represented in the latter two clusters. While our study demonstrated that cannabis is well accepted for medical purposes, research is needed to further validate the relationships between knowledge, perceptions, and (intended) behavior in different settings and policy contexts.

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Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions About Medical Cannabis

Cited by 5 publications

References 55 publications

Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Use in Medical Practice

Predictors of Medical Students’ Perceptions of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for Use in Medical Practice

UK medical students’ self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study

Public Knowledge, Perceptions, and Behavioral Intention Regarding Medical Cannabis in Belgium

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