Development of the Japanese version of the Challenging Experience Questionnaire

A Japanese version of the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) was developed to assess difficult aspects of psychedelic experiences in Japanese speakers. Following international guidelines for translation and cultural adaptation, two psychiatrists independently translated the original English CEQ into Japanese, reconciled the versions, and had them back-translated into English. The original authors reviewed the back-translation and approved the final version after revisions. The resulting questionnaire enables evaluation of challenging experiences during psychedelic-assisted therapy for Japanese-speaking populations, though further studies are needed to confirm its reliability and validity.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The therapeutic potential of psychedelics for various mental disorders has gained significant interest. Previous studies have highlighted that psychedelics induce psychoactive effects, including challenging aspects of experiences. These experiences are assessed using the Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), yet its Japanese version has been unavailable. This study aimed to create a Japanese version of the CEQ. Methods We followed the “Principles of Good Practice for the Translation and Cultural Adaptation Process for Patient‐Reported Outcomes (PRO) Measures: Report of the ISPOR Task Force for Translation and Cultural Adaptation.” Initially, two Japanese psychiatrists independently conducted the forward translations. These were then reconciled into a single version, which was back‐translated into English. The original authors reviewed this back‐translation for accuracy, leading to revisions through continuous dialogue until the original authors approved the final version. Results The final, approved back‐translated version of the CEQ is presented in the figure. Conclusions This study developed a Japanese version of the CEQ, enabling the assessment of challenging experiences during psychedelic‐assisted therapy for Japanese speakers. Further studies are needed to assess the reliability and validity of this newly translated version.