College Students With Stronger Stress Responses Used Cannabis More Frequently | Research

The takeaway

College students whose parasympathetic nervous system reacted more strongly to a challenge task tended to use cannabis more frequently, suggesting physiological stress sensitivity may drive substance use.

Stress physiology researchers, college substance use prevention programs, biofeedback practitioners.

Greater stress response linked to more cannabis use

What the researchers found

Among 152 college students, those with larger declines in parasympathetic activity (vagal withdrawal) during a stress challenge task used cannabis more frequently. Unexpectedly, higher resting parasympathetic activity was also associated with more frequent cannabis use. Recovery from the challenge was not related to substance use.

Why it matters

This study provides biological evidence for the self-medication hypothesis: students whose bodies react more strongly to stress may use cannabis more frequently to cope. Identifying physiological markers of substance use risk could enable earlier, more targeted interventions.

The numbers in context

152 students. Mean age 20.5. 73.8% female. Higher resting RSA linked to more cannabis use. Greater RSA decline (vagal withdrawal) during challenge linked to more frequent use. No association with RSA recovery.

How the study worked

Cross-sectional study of 152 college students (mean age 20.5, 73.8% female) who reported past-month substance use frequency and completed a laboratory stress task (mirror star tracing) while wearing an ECG to measure respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a marker of parasympathetic nervous system activity.

What this study cannot tell us

Cross-sectional; cannot determine if stress reactivity causes cannabis use or vice versa. Single laboratory task may not reflect real-world stress responses. Self-reported substance use. Predominantly female sample. Small sample for detecting physiological-behavioral associations.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary: novel physiological finding in a small cross-sectional sample requiring replication.

When this study was published

2025 study

The bigger picture

If physiological stress reactivity predicts cannabis use, biofeedback interventions teaching stress regulation could reduce substance use risk. This offers a non-pharmacological, non-stigmatizing prevention approach that addresses the underlying vulnerability rather than just the behavior.

Questions still open

Could biofeedback training reduce cannabis use in physiologically reactive students? Does chronic cannabis use alter parasympathetic function over time? Would these findings replicate in more diverse samples?

Common questions

Are some people biologically predisposed to using cannabis?

This study found students whose bodies reacted more strongly to stress used cannabis more frequently, suggesting that physiological stress sensitivity may be one biological factor contributing to cannabis use patterns.

Could stress management help reduce cannabis use?

The findings suggest it could. If physiological stress reactivity drives cannabis use as a coping mechanism, interventions like biofeedback that teach stress regulation might reduce the motivation to use.

Read the original research

Substance Use is Associated With College Students' Acute Parasympathetic Nervous System Responses to Challenge.

Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 41(1), e70002

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Rahal, Danny; Kwan, Violet F; Perry, Kristin J. (2025). Substance Use is Associated With College Students' Acute Parasympathetic Nervous System Responses to Challenge.. Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 41(1), e70002. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.70002