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While clinical studies have established a link between aggression and ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine [MDMA]), no research has attempted to explore how this link manifests itself in behavioral outcomes. In this research we examine the effects of ecstasy on aggressive and violent behavior in a sample of active users. Data were collected from 260 ecstasy users in Atlanta, Georgia. Data analysis included ordered logit regression to examine the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behavior, controlling for key predictors of aggression independent of ecstasy use. Our results indicate that those with a higher prevalence of lifetime ecstasy use exhibit higher levels of aggressive and violent behavior. However, the effect of lifetime ecstasy use differs by levels of low self-control as a measure of propensity for aggression. Those who exhibit low self-control are more affected by ecstasy use than those who do not in terms of aggression. Our findings add an important dimension to our current knowledge about the relationship between aggression and ecstasy.
Keywords: ecstasy; drug abuse; aggressive behavior; violence
Ecstasy, or MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine), is currently one of the most popular recreational drugs both within the United States and worldwide (Carapcioglu & Ogel, 2004; Schifano, 2000). The most recent, comprehensive national data indicate that 15% of 18- to 25-year-olds in the United States have used ecstasy at least once in their lives (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003). Part of ecstasy's popularity is due to its reputation as a "safe drug" (Saunders, 1995; Schwartz & Miller, 1997; Solowij, 1993). This reputation is the result of its perceived positive effects such as increased emotionality, empathy, extroversion, and euphoria (Pape & Rossow, 2004; Saunders, 1995; Sloan, 2000). Beyond the rewarding psychological effects of ecstasy, its reputation as a safe drug is also due to its embeddedness in the early rave counterculture. The rave scene of the 1980s and early 1990s was associated with an ideology of community, connectedness, and, for some, spirituality (Sloan, 2000; Weber, 1999). When the rave scene became more mainstream and less counterculture, this ideology became diluted and the use of ecstasy became more commonplace (Boeri, Sterk, & Elifson, 2004).
As the sociocultural context of ecstasy use has changed, so to has the assumption of its safety. While ecstasy's early reputation for safety limited...