Rapid Effects of MDMA Administration on Self-Reported Personality Traits and Affect State: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults
Dunlop, B. W., Hyatt, C. S., Maples-Keller, J. L., Phillips, N. L., Rakofsky, J., Rauch, S. A. M., Reiff, C. M., Rothbaum, B. O., Sharpe, B. M., Sherrill, A., Yasinski, C.
This pre-registered randomised placebo-controlled study (n=34) investigates the effects of MDMA (100mg) administration on personality traits and affective states in healthy adults. While no statistical significance was found for the primary hypotheses, medium effect sizes were observed for increased Openness (d = 0.79) and Positive Affect (d = 0.51) 48 hours after MDMA administration compared to placebo.
Abstract
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for PTSD and emerging research suggests a change in personality traits may be a factor in treatment response. Most prior research on MDMA and personality has focused on cross-sectional comparisons of MDMA users and non-users; as such, well-controlled research assessing personality and affective states change following MDMA vs placebo administration is needed. In the current pre-registered study, we investigated the impact of MDMA administration on five-factor model (FFM) traits and affective states before and 48 h after drug administration in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of healthy adults (N = 34). Statistical significance was not observed for the four a priori hypotheses; however, medium effect sizes were found between MDMA administration and trait Openness and Positive Affect 48 h following drug administration, compared to placebo (d = .79 and .51, respectively). This study provides initial results to help guide future well-powered studies with large samples and longer follow-up timepoints to continue to investigate how MDMA impacts personality and emotional experience, which may inform optimization of MDMA treatment approaches.