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. 2021 Apr 5;13(4):e14313.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.14313.

Caffeine Intake and Mental Health in College Students

Raphael A O Bertasi  1 , Yasmine Humeda  2 , Tais G O Bertasi  1 , Zoe Zins  2 , Justin Kimsey  1 , George Pujalte  1
Affiliations

Caffeine Intake and Mental Health in College Students

Raphael A O Bertasi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background The effect of caffeine on the human body, both short-term and long-term, has been studied in great depth, particularly its association with psychiatric disorders. This study aims to investigate whether there is a correlation between caffeine intake and anxiety and depression among college students. Methodology A survey was administered to college students at Florida State University. Data regarding participant characteristics and caffeine intake were collected. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores were used to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Results A total of 114 participants were included in the survey, consisting mainly of women (94 [82.5%]) and junior-level students (37 [32.5%]). The main source of caffeine was coffee (64.0%), and the main reasons for caffeine intake were pleasure (43.9%) and to study outside of class (29.8%); however, no association was found between sex or grade point average and number of cups of caffeine consumed. Upper levels of education (super senior or fifth-year students), depressive symptoms (poor appetite, overeating, sleep disorders, depressed mood), and anxiety were statistically associated with greater caffeine intake (P < 0.05). Conclusions As caffeine is commonly consumed and our study showed that its intake was associated with depressive symptoms and higher levels of anxiety in college students, further studies are needed to determine a possible causality, so that measures may be taken to educate these students about alternative methods for increasing energy and alertness.

Keywords: anxiety; caffeine; coffee; college student; depression; mental health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Questionnaire questions associated with caffeine intake per week.
Box plot comparing amount of caffeine intake per week and frequency of symptoms identified in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 questionnaires with P < 0.05 in the Kruskal-Wallis test (P values for the Mann-Whitney test assessing each answer are also in the graph). One cup equals eight ounces of liquid.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Correlation between total score of GAD-7 and caffeine intake.
GAD-7 = Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 One cup equals eight ounces of liquid Correlation: r = 0.240, P = 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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