Papers by Oliver Robinson
Extended Difficulties Following the Use of Psychedelic Drugs: A Mixed Methods Study
SSRN Electronic Journal
Evans, J., Robinson, O.C., Argyri, E.K., Suseelan, S., Murphy-Beiner, A., McAlpine, R., Luke, D.,... more Evans, J., Robinson, O.C., Argyri, E.K., Suseelan, S., Murphy-Beiner, A., McAlpine, R., Luke, D., Michelle, K., & Prideaux, E. (2023) Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs: A mixed methods study. PLoS ONE 18(10): e0293349. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293349 Long-term adverse experiences following psychedelic use can persist for weeks, months, or even years, and are relatively unexplored in psychedelic research. Our convergent mixedmethod study gained quantitative and qualitative data from 608 participants who reported extended difficulties following psychedelic experiences. Data was gathered on the context of use, the nature and duration of the challenges they experienced (including a written description of these), plus a range of possible risk factors and perceived causes. The most common forms of extended difficulty were feelings of anxiety and fear, existential struggle, social disconnection, depersonalization and derealization. For approximately one-third of the participants, problems persisted for over a year, and for a sixth, they endured for more than three years. It was found that a shorter duration of difficulties was predicted by knowledge of dose, drug type and lower levels of difficulty reported during the psychoactive experience, while a narrower range of difficulties was predicted by taking the drug in a guided setting. Implications for psychedelic harm reduction are discussed.
Coming Back Together: A Qualitative Survey Study of Coping and Support Strategies Used by People to Cope With Extended Difficulties After the Use of Psychedelic Drugs
Social Science Research Network, 2024
Robinson, O. C., Evans, J., Luke, D., McAlpine, R., Sahely, A., Fisher, A., Sundeman, S., Argyri,... more Robinson, O. C., Evans, J., Luke, D., McAlpine, R., Sahely, A., Fisher, A., Sundeman, S., Argyri, E.K., Murphy-Beiner, A., Michelle, K., & Prideaux, E. (2024). Coming back together: A qualitative survey study of coping and support strategies used by people to cope with enduring difficulties after a psychedelic experience. SSRN (preprint repository) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4687209 A growing body of literature is focused on understanding the extended difficulties individuals encounter after psychedelic experiences. Although existing research has explored the nature and predictors of these difficulties, a significant research gap exists in the exploration of coping strategies adopted by individuals in response. This study collected data from a diverse international cohort of 608 participants who had experienced difficulties that persisted for at least one day after a psychedelic experience. They provided written data on how they coped with these difficulties. The qualitative analysis of the written data on coping was conducted using Structured Tabular Thematic Analysis. It revealed a wide range of coping strategies employed at both individual and social levels. Predominant among individual strategies were meditation and prayer, followed by self-educational activities such as reading and journaling. The most prevalent forms of social coping involved seeking support from friends or family members, followed by obtaining assistance from a therapist or coach. Particular features of social coping were reported to be helpful such as feeling heard, feeling accepted and sharing similar experiences. These insights hold significant potential for designing therapeutic interventions and educational resources aimed at enhancing coping strategies for those experiencing extended difficulties after psychedelic use.
An Encounter with the Other: A Thematic Analysis of Accounts of DMT Experiences from a Naturalistic Field Study
Introduction: N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of ... more Introduction: N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of producing radical shifts in conscious experience. Increasing trends in its use, as well as new trials administering DMT to patients, indicate the growing importance of a thorough elucidation of the phenomenology the drug may occasion. This is particularly in light of the hyper-real, otherworldly, and often ontologically challenging yet potentially transformative, nature of the experience, not least encounters with apparently non-self social agents. Laboratory studies have been limited by clinical setting and lacking qualitative analyses, while online surveys’ limitations lie in retrospective design, recreational use, and both of which not guaranteeing ‘breakthrough’ experiences. Methods: We report on the first naturalistic field study of DMT use including its qualitative analysis. Screened, healthy, anonymised and experienced DMT users (40-75mg inhaled) were observed during their non-cli...
Frontiers in Psychology, 2021
Introduction:N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of pr... more Introduction:N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous serotonergic psychedelic capable of producing radical shifts in conscious experience. Increasing trends in its use, as well as new trials administering DMT to patients, indicate the growing importance of a thorough elucidation of the qualitative content, over and above structure, which the drug occasions. This is particularly in light of the hyper-real, otherworldly, and often ontologically challenging yet potentially transformative, nature of the experience, not least encounters with apparently non-self social agents. Laboratory studies have been limited by clinical setting and lacking qualitative analyses of experiential content, while online surveys’ limitations lie in retrospective design, uncontrolled use, and both of which not guaranteeing ‘breakthrough’ experiences, i.e., producing very strong psychoactive effects.Methods: We report on the first naturalistic field study of DMT use including its qualitative analysis. S...
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2018
A range of research studies has found that women report greater importance of religion and spirit... more A range of research studies has found that women report greater importance of religion and spirituality in their lives than men do. This study extends the literature on this phenomenon and the theories that aim to explain it, by looking at whether gender differences in the three European countries (UK, France and Germany) differ by adult age group (young adults 18-39, midlifers 40-59) and older adults 60+), and by the cultural gender equality of the countries in question. Participants provided data on the importance of religiosity and spirituality to their life. Significant gender differences were found within all three countries, for each of the three age groups. In line with predictions based on Global Gender Gap Report 2016, Germany showed the smallest difference, followed by France and the UK. Gender differences were smaller in the young adult samples than midlife adults or older adults.
European Journal of Ageing, 2012
Human values are assessed biannually in a multinational sample as part of the European Social Sur... more Human values are assessed biannually in a multinational sample as part of the European Social Survey (ESS). Based on theories of adaptive ageing, it was predicted that ten lower order values and four higher order values would show age differences that would be invariant across (a) two sample cohorts (2002 and 2008), (b) gender and (c) 12 industrialised nations. The value categories measured by the ESS are the following: conservative values (tradition, conformity and security), openness to change values (self-direction, hedonism and stimulation), self-transcendent values (universalism, benevolence) and self-enhancement values (power, achievement). Of the ten lower order values, tradition shows the strongest positive relation with adult age, while the value of stimulation shows the strongest negative relation with age. With regards to the four higher order value categories, conservative values increased across age groups, while openness to change values decreased. Neither of these value types showed cohort or gender differences. Self-transcendence values were greater in midlife and older adults compared with young adults, were higher in women than in men, and higher in the 2008 compared with the 2002 cohort. Selfenhancement values showed a negative relation with age, with men of all age groups scoring higher in this value type than women. Age effects on the four higher order value types were replicated across all 12 countries in the sample, with the single exception of self-enhancement values in Spain, which show no relation with age.
Parental attachment and its relationship to contextualised trait expression and mean-corrected cross-context trait variability
Personality and Individual Differences, 2011
... The measure was adapted from the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, or TIPI (Gosling, Rentfrow, ... more ... The measure was adapted from the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, or TIPI (Gosling, Rentfrow, & Swann, 2003), a very brief measure of the five factor model of personality that has been shown to have predictive validity in a variety of settings (eg, Robinson, Demetre, & Corney ...
The prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of crisis episodes in early adulthood and midlife
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 2013
The objective of the study was to gain data on the prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of cr... more The objective of the study was to gain data on the prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of crisis episodes in three age decades of adult life: 20–29, 30–39 and 40–49. A further aim was to explore the relationship between crisis occurrence and empathy. A retrospective-autobiographical survey instrument and an empathy questionnaire were administered to 1023 UK-based adults. Prevalence data showed that crisis in the 20–29 decade was reported by 39% of men and 49% of women, while in the 30–39 decade 47% of men and 51% of women reported a crisis, and 46% of men and 59% of women reported a crisis occurring in the 40–49 decade. When prevalence rates were compared by participants’ current age, a recency effect in crisis reporting was apparent. Work-related crises were more common in men, while relationship and family were more common in female crisis. The most common crisis contents across decades and genders were divorce/relationship break-up and debt/financial difficulties. Post-crisi...
Journal of Adult Development
Developmental crisis is a construct that is central to many theories of psychosocial adult develo... more Developmental crisis is a construct that is central to many theories of psychosocial adult development, yet there is currently no validated psychometric measure of adult developmental crisis that can be used across adult age groups. To address this gap in the literature, we developed and validated an age-independent measure of adult developmental crisis for research and applied purposes, entitled the Developmental Crisis Questionnaire (DCQ-12). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted separately on different samples. A three-factor structure emerged as the best fit with the data: (1) Disconnection and Distress; (2) Lack of Clarity and Control and (3) Transition and Turning Point. The DCQ-12 showed predictive validity with measures of self-esteem, locus of control, authentic living, optimism, presence of and search for meaning, turning points and a related crisis measure. Four-week test–retest reliability ranged from 0.78 to 0.89 across subscales. As well as resear...
Adulthood, Development and the Biopsychosocial Paradigm
Development Through Adulthood
Emotional Development
Development Through Adulthood, 2013
Career Development and Retirement
Development Through Adulthood, 2013
Spirituality and Religiosity
Development through Adulthood: An Integrative Sourcebook
Adult Development: Meaning and Models Research Methods in Adult Development Cognitive Development... more Adult Development: Meaning and Models Research Methods in Adult Development Cognitive Development Emotional Development Motivational Development Psychosocial Life Stages, Transitions and Crises Personality Development Moral Development Wisdom Spirituality and Religiosity Mental Disorder, Age and Adult Life Events Family, Friends and Relationships Career Development and Retirement Dying and Bereavement
Qualitative Psychology, 2021
In this article I present a structured approach to thematic analysis that is designed for working... more In this article I present a structured approach to thematic analysis that is designed for working with brief texts. It is grounded in both the ecumenical thematic analysis of Boyatzis and the reflexive thematic analysis of Braun and Clarke. The process of structured tabular TA (ST-TA) is best conducted in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. As with other forms of thematic analysis, it permits inductive, deductive or hybrid approaches to theme development and analysis. Its logistical processes are well suited to working with the large samples that can be achieved when gathering brief text data. It can be used to conduct purely qualitative analyses, and can also elicit frequency data that can, in principle, be analysed quantitatively too. The process of checking agreement between analysts is an integral feature of the method. I discuss the practical implications of the approach and its applicability to various qualitative and mixed-methods research designs.
Journal of Research in Personality, 2020
Goals and plans for changing one's personality traits have been found to be commonly held, partic... more Goals and plans for changing one's personality traits have been found to be commonly held, particularly in young adults. Evidence for whether such goals and plans can predict actual trait change is mixed. The current study replicated and extended the methodology of a previous study to investigate whether trait change goals and plans predict change over a year in an Iranian sample of students. It was found that goals and plans before and after the 12month period predicted longitudinal change in Openness to Experience, but no association was found for other traits. To explore whether this relationship between goals and change in Openness to Experience is replicable, further research with samples of differing ages and cultures is needed.
Journal of Adult Development, 2020
Graduating from higher education is characterized by a complex set of changes, including the tran... more Graduating from higher education is characterized by a complex set of changes, including the transition into employment as well as residential changes and identity shifts. We explored how wellbeing and depressive symptoms are associated with retrospective appraisals of developmental crisis in the year after leaving university, and the impact of living with parents following graduation. Data were collected from graduates based in the UK over the course of the 12 months following completing an undergraduate degree, via a 3-phase longitudinal design. One-third of the sample reported experiencing a developmental crisis within the year following university. Those who reported a crisis scored significantly lower on measures of environmental mastery across all time points and higher on measures of depression. Those living with parents scored significantly lower on measures of self-acceptance and autonomy and higher on measures of depression. In light of these findings, we conclude that int...
Emerging Adulthood, 2018
Research on crisis episodes during the first decade of adult life suggests two types of such “qua... more Research on crisis episodes during the first decade of adult life suggests two types of such “quarter-life” crisis exist: locked-in and locked-out. Both relate conceptually to the transition out of emerging adulthood. A female case study was studied over a 4-year period, starting when she left university. Well-being and depression data were gathered 5 times, two interviews were conducted, as well as a structured e-mail exchange. Results showed two episodes of crisis within the study period. The first was the locked-out type, which occurred when the participant experienced multiple failures to find work, leading to self-esteem decline and anxiety. The second crisis was the locked-in type, which occurred when she felt obliged to stay in a job despite a bullying boss. The case study provides a rich exemplification of quarter-life crisis theory and insights for further consideration in multi-participant studies on the challenges of leaving tertiary education.
Psychosocial Life Stages, Transitions and Crises
Development Through Adulthood, 2013
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Papers by Oliver Robinson