There has been a growing body of research in the field of microdosing psychedelics over the last decade, although it remains in its early stages. One area of particular interest is the potential...Show moreThere has been a growing body of research in the field of microdosing psychedelics over the last decade, although it remains in its early stages. One area of particular interest is the potential influence of microdosing on health behaviors, including diet, physical activity, and sleep. The objective of this current study was to contribute to the existing literature on microdosing psychedelics by investigating their effects on health behaviors through the use of an online self-constructed questionnaire. Based on responses from 365 microdosers, we found that the most commonly reported changes in health behaviors were observed in sleep, mindfulness, and physical activity, as well as other health behaviors. This effect may be attributed to an increased sense of autonomy, wherein users take more control over their behaviors and overall health. Moreover, we found that intentions set before microdosing influenced the reported changes in health behaviors. Users who reported having a psychiatric illness were more likely to have the intention to alleviate their symptoms and subsequently reported a decrease in the use of psychiatric medication after microdosing. This discovery implies a possible link with self-medication practices, revealing the encouraging potential of microdosing psychedelics to improve well-being. However, additional placebo-controlled research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms facilitating the observed changes in health behaviors through microdosing.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Research into Dutch substance-dependent youths who have committed crimes (age 16-22) is scarce, even though this population might benefit from more targeted treatment (e.g., addition of anger...Show moreResearch into Dutch substance-dependent youths who have committed crimes (age 16-22) is scarce, even though this population might benefit from more targeted treatment (e.g., addition of anger management to treatment for youths who have committed violent crimes) and is more likely to exhibit recidivism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relation between different types of drugs (alcohol, cannabis, and hard drugs) and different types of crime (violent, drug-related, and property). It was expected that (1) alcohol users were more likely to commit violent crimes than cannabis or hard drug users, (2) cannabis users were less likely to commit drug-related crimes than alcohol or hard drugs users, and (3) hard drug users were more likely to commit property crimes than alcohol or cannabis users. Gender, SES, education, polydrug use, and conduct disorder were also taken into account. All variables were assessed using a structured interview in a sample of 209 youths who came into treatment for SUD at different treatment centers across the Netherlands. The key finding of this study was that the majority of this sample had committed multiple types of crime and were using multiple types of drugs, which made confirmatory analyses impossible. Exploratory analyses indicated that cannabis users were more likely to commit drug-related crimes than non-cannabis users and that there was no specific type of drug that increased the likeliness that a youth would commit multiple crimes.Show less
The Colombian case is an unique one to study. Classified as a middle-income country, its GDP is considerably higher than that of most countries receiving Official Development Assistance (ODA)....Show moreThe Colombian case is an unique one to study. Classified as a middle-income country, its GDP is considerably higher than that of most countries receiving Official Development Assistance (ODA). However, Colombia has been severely taunted by political violence, civil war, and problems related to drug trafficking throughout modern history. After Syria, it is the country with the largest amount of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the world. As recently as 2016, a Peace Agreement has been signed to end the civil war between Colombia’s government, various insurgent groups, and the paramilitaries. Therefore, effective ODA is now more vital than ever to rebuild the country and make sure everyone gets equal opportunities to improve themselves and their livelihoods. This thesis will assess the development process in Colombia in a context of civil war and drug-related violence, and will attempt to make valid recommendations regarding how to make the implementation of ODA more effective.Show less
Middelengebruik onder jong volwassenen is een steeds groter wordend probleem. In dit onderzoek zijn er vragenlijsten ingevuld door jong volwassenen in de leeftijd van 14 – 30 jaar (N = 671). De...Show moreMiddelengebruik onder jong volwassenen is een steeds groter wordend probleem. In dit onderzoek zijn er vragenlijsten ingevuld door jong volwassenen in de leeftijd van 14 – 30 jaar (N = 671). De respondenten zijn verdeeld in vijf groepen, afhankelijk van de hoeveelheid en het soort middelengebruik, te weten: 0 = nooit drugs gebruikt, 1 = nauwelijks softdruggebruikers, 2 = recreatief/veel softdruggebruikers, 3 = nauwelijks polidruggebruikers en 4 = recreatief/veel polidruggebruikers. Met een meervoudige variantieanalyse is geanalyseerd of de groepen middelengebruikers op de mate van psychopathologie in de vorm van aandachtstekort-/hyperactiviteitsproblemen (ADHD) en antisociale persoonlijkheidsproblemen (ASP), de straf- en beloningsgevoeligheid (het BIS en BAS Fun Seeking) en emotieregulatie (NonAcceptance en Impulse). Een stepwise multipele regressie is gebruikt om te onderzoeken welke variabelen psychopathologie in de vorm van ADHD en ASP significant kunnen voorspellen. Concluderend kan gesteld worden dat het middelengebruik significant van invloed is op de mate van psychopathologie (ADHD: F (4, 666) = 11.48, p < .001; ASP: F (4, 666) = 8.427, p < .001), de emotieregulatie (NonAcceptance: F (4, 666) = 3.05, p = .017; Impulse: F (4, 666) = 3.49, p = .008) en de straf- en beloningsgevoeligheid (BAS Fun Seeking: F (4, 666) = 24.79, p < .001; BIS: F (4, 666) = 2.97, p = .019). Er werd verwacht dat deze effecten sterker zouden zijn bij polidruggebruikers dan bij softdruggebruikers, maar dit is niet altijd in significante mate van invloed: er bestaan voor alle uitkomstvariabelen significante verschillen tussen niet-gebruikers en gebruikers, maar alleen voor ADHD en BAS Fun Seeking worden significante verschillen gevonden tussen softdruggebruikers en polidruggebruikers (ADHD: p = .020; BAS Fun Seeking: p = .013). De mate van ADHD kan voorspeld worden door de mate van ASP (beta = .60, p < .001), BAS Fun Seeking (beta = .18, p < .001) en NonAcceptance (beta = .16, p < .001), de mate van ASP kan voorspeld worden door de mate van ADHD (beta = .63, p < .001), BIS (beta = -.16, p < .001) en Impulse (beta = .13, p < .001). Ondanks eerder gevonden significante invloed van het middelengebruik op psychopathologie, blijkt het middelengebruik geen significante voorspeller voor de mate van ADHD en de mate van ASP te zijn. Voortzetting van het huidige onderzoek wordt aangeraden om de onderzochte verbanden duidelijker te krijgen. Wanneer de consequenties van middelengebruik op het gebied van (geestelijke-) gezondheid en de voorspellers voor psychopathologie duidelijk zijn, wordt het wellicht mogelijk om preventieve interventiemethoden in te zetten.Show less
