A school-based program targeting personality risk factors reduced cannabis use onset among high-risk teens, with the strongest effects in sensation-seekers, who were 75% less likely to start using.
Read this if you work in school-based prevention or are interested in what makes some teens more likely to try cannabis.
75% reduction in cannabis initiation among sensation-seekers
What the researchers found
Researchers randomized 21 London secondary schools to receive either personality-targeted interventions or standard programming. The interventions were delivered by trained teachers to 1,038 high-risk ninth graders (average age 13.7) who had been identified as having one of four personality risk profiles: anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, impulsivity, or sensation-seeking.
At 6 months, the intervention group had significantly lower cannabis use rates (OR = 0.67). Reductions in frequency of use persisted at 12 and 18 months.
The strongest finding came from subgroup analysis: the sensation-seeking intervention reduced cannabis initiation by 75% among sensation-seekers (OR = 0.25), suggesting this personality type is especially responsive to targeted prevention.
Why it matters
Most school drug prevention programs take a one-size-fits-all approach. This study showed that matching interventions to specific personality risk profiles, particularly sensation-seeking, can produce stronger prevention effects than generic programs.
The numbers in context
1,038 high-risk students; 21 schools; OR 0.67 for cannabis use at 6 months; OR 0.25 for cannabis initiation among sensation-seekers; 24-month follow-up
How the study worked
Cluster-randomized controlled trial across 21 secondary schools in London (12 intervention, 9 control). Personality risk measured with the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale. Cannabis use assessed every 6 months for 2 years using the Reckless Behaviour Questionnaire. Both logistic regression and two-part latent growth models were used.
What this study cannot tell us
The overall intervention effects were not fully supported by all statistical models. Effects were strongest in sensation-seekers but weaker or non-significant for other personality profiles. London-specific sample. Teacher-delivered programs may vary in fidelity.
How to read the evidence
Cluster-randomized controlled trial with 24-month follow-up, though mixed results across statistical models and strongest effects limited to one personality subgroup.
When this study was published
Published in 2015. Personality-targeted prevention has continued to be studied and refined.
The bigger picture
Prevention science is moving toward personalized approaches. Identifying which teenagers are most at risk based on personality traits and delivering tailored interventions could make school-based prevention substantially more effective.
Questions still open
- Can personality-targeted prevention programs be scaled to other countries and cultural contexts? Would combining multiple personality-targeted modules produce additive effects? Do these prevention effects persist beyond 24 months?
Common questions
What personality traits put teens at risk for cannabis use?
How is this different from regular drug education?
Read the original research
Can cannabis use be prevented by targeting personality risk in schools? Twenty-four-month outcome of the adventure trial on cannabis use: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Addiction (Abingdon, England), 110(10), 1625-33
Citation
Mahu, Ioan T; Doucet, Christine; O'Leary-Barrett, Maeve; Conrod, Patricia J. (2015). Can cannabis use be prevented by targeting personality risk in schools? Twenty-four-month outcome of the adventure trial on cannabis use: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 110(10), 1625-33. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12991
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