College students’ use of energy drinks, social problem solving, and academic performance

ORCID

Carolynn S. Kohn: 0000-0002-2156-4898

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

Department

Psychology

ISSN

0279-1072

Volume

46

Issue

5

DOI

10.1080/02791072.2014.965291

First Page

396

Last Page

401

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Abstract

Energy drink (ED) use among college students to improve academic performance (AP) has skyrocketed. A growing body of literature indicates that the risks associated with ED use may outweigh the perceived benefits. In this study, 486 undergraduates were surveyed on their general substance and ED usage, Social Problem-Solving (SPS) ability, and AP. It was hypothesized that: (1) ED use would be a negative predictor of AP; (2) SPS would be a positive predictor of AP; (3) SPS would be a negative predictor of ED use; and (4) SPS and ED use would account for a significant amount of the variance in AP. A linear multiple regression for AP was conducted, with predictor variables entered in the following order: total drug use, non-ED caffeine use, SPS, and ED use. The overall model was significant and accounted for approximately 7% of the variance in AP. The hypotheses of the study were supported, indicating that ED use may be related to decreased AP, SPS ability may be related to increased AP, or that students with poor AP and less effective SPS skills are more likely to use EDs. Implications of these findings are important for college students and other users of ED products.

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