A Systematic Review of Multicultural Diversity in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Trials
Abstract
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating psychotherapy interventions have historically fallen short in adequately reporting sociodemographic data and representing participants from diverse multicultural backgrounds. This lack of comprehensive reporting poses a challenge in assessing the applicability of interventions to minoritized sociodemographic groups, who often have the most pressing mental health treatment needs. Recent RCTs exploring the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for mental health disorders have yielded promising outcomes. However, an examination of studies involving psychedelics revealed a notable underrepresentation of people of color within this research (Michaels et al., 2018). The present systematic review aims to investigate reporting and representation of participant sociodemographic characteristics in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy RCTs from the past 30 years. The study also examines the extent to which these RCTs evaluate the role of participant sociodemographic backgrounds in analyses of treatment effects. Following APA multicultural guidelines and an intersectional framework, we examine reporting and representation of participant race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, immigration status, and language spoken in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy RCTs, and how these trends have changed over time. Analyzing reporting and representation trends over time can aid in determining whether federal guidelines and journal standards have indeed improved the inclusion of diverse participants in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy RCTs. Results will offer important directions for evaluating and ensuring the generalizability and multicultural congruence of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy before its potential widespread dissemination.
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