Personality-Based School Programs Can Delay Cannabis Use in Sensation-Seeking Teens
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.
Quick Facts
What This Study 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.
Key Numbers
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 They Did This
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.
Why This Research 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 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.
What This Study Doesn't 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.
Questions This Raises
- ?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?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 75% reduction in cannabis initiation among sensation-seekers
- Evidence Grade:
- Cluster-randomized controlled trial with 24-month follow-up, though mixed results across statistical models and strongest effects limited to one personality subgroup.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2015. Personality-targeted prevention has continued to be studied and refined.
- Original Title:
- 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.
- Published In:
- Addiction (Abingdon, England), 110(10), 1625-33 (2015)
- Authors:
- Mahu, Ioan T, Doucet, Christine, O'Leary-Barrett, Maeve(2), Conrod, Patricia J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01007
Evidence Hierarchy
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or placebo groups to test cause and effect.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What personality traits put teens at risk for cannabis use?
The study identified four risk profiles: anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking. Sensation-seekers responded most strongly to the targeted intervention, showing a 75% reduction in cannabis initiation.
How is this different from regular drug education?
Instead of giving all students the same anti-drug messaging, this approach screens for personality risk factors and delivers brief interventions tailored to each risk profile. It targets the underlying motivations for drug use rather than just providing information.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- 420-sober-survival-guide
- CBT-cannabis-recovery
- cannabis-relapse-cycle-pattern
- cold-turkey-vs-taper-quit-weed
- dating-sober-after-quitting-weed
- exercise-quitting-weed-anxiety-brain
- grieving-quitting-weed-loss
- help-someone-quit-weed
- how-to-quit-weed
- how-to-talk-to-teenager-about-weed
- journaling-weed-withdrawal
- kids-friends-smoke-weed-parent-guide
- marijuana-anonymous-SMART-recovery-compare
- meditation-mindfulness-weed-withdrawal
- parent-smokes-weed-kids-hypocrite
- partner-still-smokes-weed
- partner-still-smokes-weed-quitting
- pink-cloud-sobriety-cannabis
- quit-weed-cold-turkey
- quit-weed-or-cut-back-which-is-better
- quit-weed-regret-went-back
- quitting-weed-20s
- quitting-weed-30s
- quitting-weed-after-years
- quitting-weed-during-crisis-divorce-job-loss
- quitting-weed-exercise
- quitting-weed-grief-loss-coping
- quitting-weed-legal-state
- quitting-weed-parent
- quitting-weed-success-stories
- quitting-weed-teenager-young-adult
- quitting-weed-triggers-environment
- relapsed-smoking-weed-what-to-do
- relapsed-weed
- should-i-quit-weed
- sober-music-festival-concert-without-weed
- supplements-weed-withdrawal
- teenager-smoking-weed-parent-guide
- telling-friends-quitting-weed
- weed-relapse-prevention-plan
- weed-relapse-why-it-happens
- weed-ritual-replacement
- weed-ruined-relationships
- weed-social-media-triggers-quit
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01007APA
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
MLA
Mahu, Ioan T, et al. "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, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12991
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Can cannabis use be prevented by targeting personality risk ..." RTHC-01007. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/mahu-2015-can-cannabis-use-be
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.