Completed Research: MDMA and Relationships

[ACAPmasters]

From July 1, 2023, authorised psychiatrists will be able to prescribe products containing MDMA or psilocybin for specific mental health conditions in Australia. MDMA’s ability to facilitate open communication through inducing a state of openness, safety, trust, social connection, and increased empathy suggests it may be useful for couples therapy, especially given that many couples are not successful in therapy or do not see their gains made last over time.

We want to gain a deeper understanding of the perceived effects of MDMA on a romantic relationship from the perspective of the couple. If you have taken MDMA with a current or ex-partner in the last five years in a private, we would like to hear about how you felt the experience affected your relationship.

Stephanie Freitas is conducting this research towards a Master of Professional Psychology degree at the Australian College of Applied Professions (ACAP), supervised by Dr. Fiona Ann Papps, an associate professor in Psychological Science.

Inclusion criteria are that participants:

• be aged 18 years or older.
• have taken MDMA with their current or ex-partner in the last five years in a private setting.
• of any sexual orientation.
• Read and understand English well enough by their own assessment to complete an survey in English.
• have no prior relationship with researcher or her supervisor.

If you choose to participate, you will complete an anonymous 45-minute survey about your experience of the effects of a joint MDMA experience on your romantic relationship.

The survey would be conducted online, and we collect no identifying information.

If you are interested, please click on the following link to complete the survey.

https://acap.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_24RocOsyTxmCJw2

This research has been approved by the ACAP Human Research Ethics Committee (EC00447) (Approval Number: 817250423)

For concerns about ethical aspects of this research, please contact the ACAP HREC: [email protected]

ACAP in no way endorses engagement in any behaviour deemed illegal.

 

[Tronica]

Sounds like a really interesting study. Can you advise whether the participants have to be from Australia, given the scope of ACAP?

The e-interview - is that via Teams/Zoom or similar? Is it video or audio only? As you mention it is anonymous, but if it is using audio/video, then I think you can only claim it is confidential as those elements mean the person cannot remain entirely anon.

 

[ACAPmasters]

Thanks for your comment, Tronica. We have not limited the survey to Australia residents, so people from other countries can take part as part.
In response to your second point, it isn’t an interview, but more like a survey. We have called it an e-interview because the answer are expected to be more long-form than the typical survey. I hope that addresses your comment. Thank you

 

[Tronica]

Excellent, thanks for the quick response.
So is it an email interview, or through survey software or similar?
I think people knowing it is a textual interview may affect their willingness to be involved and might be good if that's clearer from the outset.

 

[ACAPmasters]

Not a problem. It's an anonymous, online survey. The link is in the post towards the bottom.
It hadn't crossed my mind that the term "e-interview" might be confusing, but now that you've pointed it out, I think you might be right. I'll discuss with my supervisor about editing the advertisement text. Thank you

 

[ACAPmasters]

This research has now concluded and I wanted to say a thank you to everyone who participated. The following is the abstract for the research which includes a summary of the results.
Although psychedelics research shows great potential for mental health treatment, less research has been conducted exploring MDMA use for relationship issues. Many couples are not successful in therapy or do not see gains made sustain over time, pointing to the need for alternative methods of couples’ therapy. MDMA shows potential for addressing relationship distress and supporting couple flourishing. This research may offer deeper understanding of the perceived effects of MDMA on romantic relationships from the perspective of the couple. This study used a mixed-method approach to analyse responses collected from an online survey exploring the perceived changes individuals reported to their relationship after a shared MDMA session. Participants reported a significantly greater level of satisfaction with their relationship in the days after the MDMA session and in the relationship at the time they completed the survey than before the shared MDMA session. Thematic analysis indicated that perceived changes to the relationship could be either positive or negative, with changes reported in affective, behavioural, and cognitive domains. Insights gained are useful for researchers exploring this field, for clinicians interested in MDMA-assisted couples therapy and for couples seeking opportunities to enhance their relationship if MDMA use becomes TGA approved.

 

[Tronica]

This research has now concluded and I wanted to say a thank you to everyone who participated. The following is the abstract for the research which includes a summary of the results.
Although psychedelics research shows great potential for mental health treatment, less research has been conducted exploring MDMA use for relationship issues. Many couples are not successful in therapy or do not see gains made sustain over time, pointing to the need for alternative methods of couples’ therapy. MDMA shows potential for addressing relationship distress and supporting couple flourishing. This research may offer deeper understanding of the perceived effects of MDMA on romantic relationships from the perspective of the couple. This study used a mixed-method approach to analyse responses collected from an online survey exploring the perceived changes individuals reported to their relationship after a shared MDMA session. Participants reported a significantly greater level of satisfaction with their relationship in the days after the MDMA session and in the relationship at the time they completed the survey than before the shared MDMA session. Thematic analysis indicated that perceived changes to the relationship could be either positive or negative, with changes reported in affective, behavioural, and cognitive domains. Insights gained are useful for researchers exploring this field, for clinicians interested in MDMA-assisted couples therapy and for couples seeking opportunities to enhance their relationship if MDMA use becomes TGA approved.

Thanks so much for coming back and sharing this with us.
Will you be submitting anything for publication? or will the thesis be available publicly?
Can you advise what proportion of your sample came through the Bluelight community, if this was something you kept track of? How many people did you interview/survey in the end?
I would be keen to see more detailed findings if available (can email to [email protected] advising me whether you want them more widely distributed or not)
But just on reading the abstract, I reckon you would find a home in a peer reviewed journal for this work. It's pretty topical right now!

 

[ACAPmasters]

You're welcome! I'm glad that people are interested enough to return and read the abstract
My supervisor has suggested we attempt publication so that might be happening. I'll email you the thesis though.
Unfortunately, I didn't keep track of where participants were coming from as it was a completely anonymous survey. I received upwards of 80 responses to the survey but for one reason or another some responses couldn't be used so the final sample consisted of 33 responses.
Thanks very much for your kind words, I really appreciate it

 

[arrall]

You're welcome! I'm glad that people are interested enough to return and read the abstract
My supervisor has suggested we attempt publication so that might be happening. I'll email you the thesis though.
Unfortunately, I didn't keep track of where participants were coming from as it was a completely anonymous survey. I received upwards of 80 responses to the survey but for one reason or another some responses couldn't be used so the final sample consisted of 33 responses.
Thanks very much for your kind words, I really appreciate it

This is an excellent study topic.
The positive impact of MDMA on romantic relationships is widely discussed on Bluelight and in other substance user communities, but I can't recall seeing any academic research on it.
Please let us know if/when you publish your results.
I'm looking forward to (hopefully) reading your work!