Abstract

Background: The stressors of obtaining medical education are multifactorial, yet more than  80% percent of medical students report having one or more significant stressors. While moderate caffeine use is generally thought to be unharmful, excessive caffeine intake, defined by the United States (U.S.) Federal Drug Administration, as little as 400 mg per day can cause insomnia and anxiety and other adverse health effects. Many students rely upon the stimulant effects of caffeine to help focus and study for long hours.  

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess perceived stress levels and the caffeine used in medical students in the United States.   

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 161 medical students via an anonymous self-administered questionnaire developed by the researchers using REDCap software to collect data on participant demographics, perceived stress level (scale), and amount of caffeine consumption. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used to assess associations between the stress and caffeine ingestion. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.26. This study was approved by the Nova Southeastern University Institutional Review Board.   

Results: The mean age of the participants was 25.3 years (SD=3.15; range 21-45 years); 55.9% (n=90) were women; 71 (44.1%) were men.  Half of the participants (n=85; 52.8%) were M2s and about one-third (n=54; 33.5%) were M1s; the rest were M3s and M4s (n=22: 13.7%). The majority of the participants (n=143; 88.8%) reported they consume caffeine, with coffee being the most common form (n=125; 77.6%) followed by caffeinated tea (n=63; 39.1%), although caffeine was taken in other forms (i.e., energy drinks, soda, caffeine pills, and headache medication). In the last month, 68.3% (n=110) of the participants consumed, on average, 1-3 (8 ounce) cups of coffee per day, and 29.2% (n=47) drank 1-3 (8 ounce) cups of caffeinated tea per day. The most common reason reported for caffeine consumption was to stay awake (n=94; 58.4%). The mean score for perceived stress was 2.64 (SD=.65) on a scale of 1 to 5 (higher scores indicating higher perceived stress). Pearson Chi Square analysis indicated there was no significant relationship between perceived stress level (dichotomized high-low) and any purpose for caffeine consumption (i.e., optimize school performance, physical endurance, avoid withdrawal symptoms, social settings, avoid tiredness, enjoy the taste, stay awake, medicinal purposes).  

Conclusion: While this pilot study found no significant associations between the study variables, information regarding medical students’ behaviors regarding caffeine consumption, their main reason for caffeine consumption (i.e., to stay awake), and their perceived stress levels can provide useful insight and stimulate further research questions regarding medical student health. .    

Further research with larger and more heterogeneous samples (e.g., multi-site studies outside Florida) may be warranted to ascertain a cause-and-effect relationship between caffeine consumption, stress, and academic performance in medical students.