Why sensory sensitivity may shape the reasons young adults use cannabis

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait characterized by heightened responsiveness to both internal and environmental stimuli. Because substances can be used to reduce overstimulation, it has been hypothesized that SPS may correlate to cannabis use. Limited research has examined these associations, finding no relationship with cannabis abuse. Beyond levels of use, SPS could be associated with motives for using cannabis, but this has yet to be examined. The present study examined concurrent associations of SPS with cannabis use frequency, cannabis abuse symptoms, and cannabis use motives in young adults. Participants were 195 23-year-olds from Québec, Canada who self-reported SPS and cannabis measures. Path analyses indicated that SPS was not related to cannabis use frequency or abuse symptoms. Further, SPS was related to social, coping, and expansion motives for cannabis use. When examining SPS subscales, low sensory threshold/ease of excitation was associated with social and conformity motives for cannabis use, while aesthetic sensitivity was associated with enhancement and expansion motives. These results suggest that SPS is related to diverse cannabis motives, rather than only to coping as hypothesized in previous literature. Motivations for cannabis use could inform intervention strategies that are implemented when individuals high in SPS seek treatment for cannabis use problems.