The Psychedelic Media Exposure Questionnaire: The development and validation of a new scale assessing psychedelic-related media exposure

Rationale: A reliable and valid instrument is needed to measure exposure to psychedelic-related media to examine the impact of media and expectations on outcomes in psychedelic clinical trials. Objectives: Our aim was to explore the psychometric properties of the Psychedelic Media Exposure Questionnaire (PMEQ) and to validate the scale. Methods: First, items were developed by a team of experts, reviewed by external expert collaborators, and revised. Psychometric validation of the PMEQ was carried out using data from two participant samples. The measure was administered to a registry of patients who had agreed to be contacted for research opportunities at Stanford Health Care, of whom 472 completed the measure (Study 1). Exploratory factor analysis was performed, and internal consistency was tested. The measure was then administered to a sample of social media users via various online platforms to further validate the scale, of whom 159 completed the measure (Study 2). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, and internal consistency was tested. Results: Factor analysis of the PMEQ revealed four main factors with good internal consistency in Study 1 (ω  =.83 and α =.84) and Study 2 (ω  =.86 and α =.85). The four underlying factors are positive attitude toward psychedelics, assessment of the emblematic media piece, engagement with media, and negative attitude toward psychedelics. Conclusions: The PMEQ is a new measure of psychedelic-related media exposure with acceptable psychometric properties. This scale will contribute to our understanding of media bias and patient expectations in both clinical research and real-world settings where psychedelics treatments are used.