Substances and your senses: The sensory patterns of young people within an alcohol and drug treatment service

Abstract

Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) and trauma histories in adults have been linked with sensory processing patterns that are significantly different from the general population. Nevertheless, no studies have investigated sensory patterns, or the variables with which they are related, in youth with SUD. This study aimed to compare sensory patterns of this sample with normative data and consider associations between sensory patterns and: substance use, trauma, quality-of-life, mental and physical health. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative research design was employed with a sample of 87 young people (mean age = 20.8 years) with SUD voluntarily attending a specialist youth outpatient alcohol and other drug (AOD) service. For participants, the Adolescent Adult Sensory Profile was added to measures routinely collected at the service. Results: Participants’ sensory processing patterns for low registration, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding were significantly higher than the normative population, while sensation seeking was both lower and higher. Ninety-one percent reported atypical scores on one or more sensory patterns. High rates of probable Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD), psychological distress, and low quality-of-life were also reported, which were meaningfully related with sensory patterns. Conclusion: Young people reported complex combinations of sensory processing patterns, with comorbid probable PTSD, psychological distress, and low quality-of-life. Findings reflect studies with adult AOD, trauma, and other clinical conditions, and highlight the potential value of screening for sensory patterns and applying transdiagnostic approaches which simultaneously address substance use, mental health, trauma and sensory needs to optimize outcomes for young people with SUD.

Keywords:

• Sensory processing
• young adults
• trauma
• substance-related disorders

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the young people attending the Biala Psychosocial Treatment Team, Metro North Mental Health – Alcohol and Drug Service for their participation and involvement. The authors acknowledge the contributions of Tanya Wallace and Lily Zwetsloot, who were clinicians that actively engaged young people and performed data collection, supporting the project.

Disclosure statement

None of the authors report a conflict of interest. The views in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Metro North Mental Health – Alcohol and Drug Service or any of its academic affiliates.

Author contributions

John Kelly led the research team and was involved in all aspects of the project. Dr Pamela Meredith contributed to the conception and design, analysis and interpretation of the results. Michelle Taylor contributed to conception and design, supported clinicians in the interpretation of the AASP, and the interpretation of results. Dr Hollie Wilson contributed to the design and the data analysis aspects of the project. Amanda Morphett contributed to the conception and design, data collection and preliminary research of the project. All authors contributed to the writing of the manuscript, as well as provided critical feedback and review.