Is sensory processing sensitivity associated with psychoactive substance use?

Background

In Western societies, individuals are increasingly exposed to external stimuli and performance demands. Some individuals are more susceptible than others to both negative and positive environmental conditions. Specifically, high « sensory processing sensitivity » (SPS) can make it difficult to adjust to certain demands. Psychoactive substance use can sometimes be used as a means to reduce external stimulation, but to date there have been few community based studies on this topic.

Methods

We used data from the 2018 French TEMPO based cohort study (n = 862 adults, 25–44 years) to study the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and use of psychoactive substances including tobacco (regular use), alcohol (AUDIT), cannabis (CAST), and illicit drugs (lifetime use). To ascertain SPS, we used the 12-item Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) scale questionnaire. Data were analysed using logistic regression models adjusted on participants’ demographic characteristics, including gender, age, marital status, educational level, employment status, as well as juvenile history of externalizing problems in 1991 or 1999.

Results

High SPS was observed among 14% of subjects. No association was observed between SPS and psychotropic use. Nevertheless, each additional point on the SPS score was associated with a 20% increase in the odds of alcohol abuse, which came close to statistical significance.

Conclusions

In the community based TEMPO cohort study, we observed no association between SPS and psychotropic substance use among adults. Additional studies in younger samples would be of interest to test the role of this trait on the onset of substance-related difficulties.