Understanding treatment expectations toward emerging therapies in veterinary medicine: the role of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs toward psychedelic-assisted interventions.

Abstract

<h4>Introduction</h4>The adoption of emerging therapeutic approaches in veterinary medicine is likely to depend not only on scientific evidence but also on how such interventions are cognitively and attitudinally appraised by future professionals. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and perceived risk regarding psychedelic use among veterinary students, and to examine their association with treatment expectations toward psychedelic-assisted therapies.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate veterinary students (<i>N</i> = 87) at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria during the 2025/2026 academic year. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing knowledge and beliefs about psychedelics, alongside the Treatment Expectation Questionnaire (TEX-Q). Exploratory factor analysis identified two latent dimensions-positive attitudes and perceived risk-which were included as independent variables in subsequent analyses. Associations were examined using nonparametric tests, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression models.<h4>Results</h4>Positive attitudes showed the strongest and most consistent associations with favorable expectation domains, including perceived treatment benefit, impact, and overall expectations, while perceived risk showed an inverse, though more moderate, pattern of associations. Sociodemographic and educational variables were more closely associated with treatment expectations through these psychological constructs than through direct associations with the expectation domains themselves.<h4>Discussion</h4>These findings are consistent with a cognitive-attitudinal framework in which expectations toward emerging therapies are more closely associated with interpretable psychological dimensions rather than with factual knowledge alone. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to clarify the relationships among these variables and to evaluate how educational experiences influence their development.

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