Psychedelic Drug Use and Romantic Relationship Functioning

Romantic relationship quality is closely tied to individual outcomes, with higher quality relationships corresponding to better mental and physical health. Illicit drug use is known to associate with relationship dysfunction, however literature on this topic largely ignores or conflates psychedelics with other illicit drugs. The present study compared relationship functioning among people who reported past-year psychedelic use, stimulant/opioid use, and nonuse of illicit drugs using data from the National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT). Those who indicated psychedelic use did not differ from those who indicated no drug use on most outcomes, though they reported lower commitment. Those who reported stimulant/opioid use demonstrated worse functioning than those who reported no drug use, showing lower satisfaction, worse dyadic coping, higher marital risk, more negative interactions, and higher odds of perpetrating intimate partner abuse. Between those who disclosed drug use, people who reported psychedelic use indicated fewer negative interactions and lower odds of perpetrating intimate partner abuse than people who reported stimulant/opioid use, with trends toward greater couples satisfaction and better dyadic coping. These findings suggest that people who choose to use psychedelics exhibit meaningful differences in interpersonal functioning than those who use illicit stimulants and opioids.