Illuminating the unseen: interdisciplinary approaches to spiking – the covert non-consensual administration of psychoactive substances

• Applicant: Dr. Antonia Bendau
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 581045206

The term “spiking” refers to the administration of psychoactive substances without the knowledge or consent of the recipient, for example via the covert addition of illicit drugs, alcohol, or prescription medications to drinks or other modes of administration. While the issue of spiking attracts considerable public attention, it has so far hardly been scientifically investigated. Spiking represents a highly complex, multilayered, and in this form unique phenomenon that entails numerous challenges as well as considerable potential for basic and applied research. It can involve a wide range of substances, contexts, symptoms, and motives. Standardized procedures for handling spiking cases are lacking, and empirical assessment is further complicated because many affected individuals do not seek medical or police assistance. Moreover, toxicological analyses confirm the unknowing uptake of a substance in only a small proportion of suspected cases, indicating the need to also examine the mechanisms underlying cases in which suspicions arise without a toxicological correlate. In addition, communication dynamics surrounding spiking, as well as its short- and long-term psychological consequences, remain entirely unexplored. The scarce body of research is further constrained by the fragmentation of existing findings across disciplines. Accordingly, an integrative, interdisciplinary research approach is required to achieve a comprehensive understanding of spiking and its associated processes. With this objective, the proposed scientific network brings together all central researchers on spiking in Germany while deliberately balancing different career stages and disciplinary backgrounds. The network’s expertise spans clinical, social, and legal/forensic psychology, psychiatry, emergency and forensic medicine, public health, sociology, toxicology, criminology, law, media and communication studies, management, and gender studies. Over a period of three years, six two-day meetings are planned. Core aims include the theoretical integration of perspectives, the development of methodological guidelines and research tools, and the establishment of shared infrastructures and data resources. In addition, the network will pursue collaborative grant applications, joint data collection, academic publications, and conference contributions. Complementary activities include joint position papers and consensus statements, international collaboration, translational exchange and knowledge transfer, as well as mentoring for early career researchers. The overarching goal is to develop a differentiated and well-founded understanding of spiking and to establish transdisciplinary scientific engagement with this topic within Germany and internationally.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Twyla Michnevich