Association of Hallucinogen Use With Psychosocial Outcomes: Secondary Analysis of the Spinal Cord Injury Model...

Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) experience depression at rates up to 5 times higher than the general population. Although research on hallucinogens for treating depression is growing, no studies have specifically focused on individuals with SCI.

To identify factors associated with hallucinogen use and explore the relationship between hallucinogen use and psychosocial outcomes (i.e., depression and quality of life [QOL]) among individuals with SCI.

This exploratory, retrospective cross-sectional study design used data from 9976 participants in the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) National Database (NDB) between 2016 and 2021. The study outcomes were depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) and QOL (Satisfaction with Life Scale [SWLS]). Hallucinogen use, measured by the WHO ASSIST 2, was dichotomized into some use versus no use.

Overall, 65 participants (0.7%) reported some hallucinogen use in the prior 3 months. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that younger age, male sex, fall(s) in the previous year, and sleep disturbances were all associated with hallucinogen use. In multivariable linear regression, hallucinogen use was significantly associated with higher PHQ-9 scores (effect size [ES] 0.558) but was not significantly related to SWLS scores (ES 0.149).

This is the first study to identify demographic, injury, and psychosocial factors associated with hallucinogen use among individuals with SCI and to explore its relation to depression and QOL. These findings provide a foundation for future, fully powered studies aimed at determining the effect of hallucinogen use in the SCI population.