TRANSLATION AND ADAPTATION OF THE 5-DIMENSIONAL ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS SCALE (5D-ASC) INTO SPANISH: PRELIMINARY RESULTS IN PSYCHEDELIC USERS IN URUGUAY

Abstract

The following study presents the translation and cultural adaptation of the 5D-ASC scale into Spanish, focusing on the Uruguayan context. The International Test Commission guidelines were followed, to ensure linguistic and conceptual equivalence. The translation was based on the English version and was conducted by two experienced researchers. It was then reviewed by an interdisciplinary team, native experts, and various psychedelic users. A pilot study with 39 participants was also conducted. The most frequently used substances were Psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, followed by MDMA and Ayahuasca, the latter in ritual contexts. The reliability analysis showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha between 0.88 and 0.95). When comparing ritual Ayahuasca use with recreational/psychonautic use, a trend toward greater intensity of experiences was observed in the former, although only the Auditory Alterations dimension showed statistically significant differences. The results suggest that the translated scale could be useful for studies involving Spanish-speaking populations. However, further instrumental studies on this new version are needed to evaluate its validity, reliability, and factorial structure. In sum, the present study offers the first validated and culturally adapted version of the 5D-ASC scale in Spanish, which provides a relevant instrument for psychometric and clinical research in the Latin American context.