Caffeine Consumption and Anxiety Levels: A convenience sample

Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning: Ian Sande, Johnny Rider,

Dani Goddard, Natalie Noss, Josh Hensley and Gary Pearson
Touro University Nevada













Research Question: What is the correlation, if any, between caffeine consumption and anxiety
levels of first year occupational therapy graduate students at Touro University Nevada?
Research Hypothesis: Consumption of high doses of caffeine (over 300 mg per day on average)
will be positively correlated with anxiety levels of mild to moderate or higher (score of 45 or
higher on the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale).
High dose of caffeine is consumption of over 300 mg per day (U.S. Food and Drug
Administration and the American Medical Association).
Introduction Outline
What is the problem or issue that our study addresses and why is it important? The FDA
recommends less than 300 mg of caffeine per day. Many graduate students at Touro University
consume more than the recommended dose. Consuming more caffeine than recommended may
cause insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, upset stomach, fast heartbeat and/or
muscle tremors (Mayo Clinic). Graduate students must be able to perform mentally and
physically at peak levels and caffeine consumption may interfere. This study will address
caffeine consumption and its impact on overall anxiety level.
What is known about the topic?
The first study had two objectives; the first objective was to examine caffeines effects on
neuroendocrine stress reactivity which included measures of plasma catecholamine and cortisol
levels and thusly determining whether or not this had a negative impact on stress and its effects
on cardiovascular reactivity. The other objective was to determine whether habitual consumption
of caffeine is associated with tolerance to these effects. In order to determine the second
objective, the study examined and compared a group of healthy young men who self-reported
consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine every day as compared with a group of men who
consumed very limited amounts of caffeine. This was self-reported, but the subjects also were
required to keep a caffeine diary and record their caffeine intake for a week.
The results indicate that not only does caffeine intake supplement or potentiate stress
reactivity, but it also seems to increase neuroendocrine stress reactivity as well. The study
showed that when given a moderate dose of caffeine, it causes elevations in plasma
norepinephrine that are additive to the effects of stress and also produces a clear potentiation of
epinephrine and cortisol stress reactivity. The second objective regarding habitual moderate
caffeine consumers as compared to light consumers found no evidence that the level of daily
caffeine consumption curbs these effects of caffeine and therefore habitual caffeine use does not
necessarily lead to tolerance suggesting that the observed interactions of caffeine and stress may
be present even in individuals who habitually consume larger amounts of caffeine.
Lane, J. D., Adcock, R. A., Williams, R. B., & Kuhn, C. M. (1990). Caffeine effects on
cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to acute psychosocial stress and their
relationship to level of habitual caffeine consumption. Psychosomatic Medicine, 52(3),
320-336.
Another article, said that there was a direct correlation between caffeine intake and cortisol
levels which is a direct physiological measure of stress. This study compared differences
between males and females and examined if there may be different levels of cortisol measured.
The study found that there were similar results between men and women and also found that
exercise did not have an effect on cortisol levels.
Farag, N.H., Lovallo, W.R., Thomas, T.C., Wilson, M.F. (2006). Cortisol Responses To Mental
Stress, Exercise, and Meals Following Caffeine Intake in Men and Women.
Pharmacology Biochemistry Behavior. Retreived from:
www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pubmed/116631247
Another study found that there was a 29% higher score on the anxiety test as compared to what
would be expected when there was not energy drink usage. The study examined undergraduate
students, who were ROTC members and members of athletic teams. It was a self-reported survey
and examined caffeine use and its effects on both sleep and anxiety. It also found that there was a
20% decrease in amount of sleep.
Stasio, M. J., curry, K., Wagener, A. L., & Glassman, D. M. (2011). Revving up and staying up:
Energy drink use associated with anxiety and sleep quality in a college sample. College
Student Journal, 45(4), 738-748.
Another study found that there was no correlation between caffeine intake and stress in first and
second year graduate students. This article most closely resembles our study because it used a
self-reported survey to measure stress levels in graduate students as opposed to physiological
measures. Soft drinks and coffee intake increased in periods of high stress and many self-
reported that these beverages were useful in coping with stress within the self-report.
Rios, J.L., Betancourt, J., Pagan, I., Fabian, C., Cruz, S.Y., Gonzalez, A.M. (2013). Caffeinated-
beverage consumption and its association with socio-demographic characteristics and
self-perceived academic stress in first and second year students at the University of
Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC). P R Health Sci Journal, 32(2):95-
100.
Caffeine has both positive and negative effects. The consumption of caffeine for can help
alleviate fatigue and stimulate concentration and focus. However, according to the Mayo Clinic
(2011) consumption of 500-600 mg. of caffeine a day, more than 5 cups of coffee can create
harmful effects. These effects include insomnia, muscle tremors, heart palpitations, irritability
and upset stomach. Additionally, if an individual does not regularly drink caffeine these effects
may arise even when a small amount is consumed.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2011, March 9). Caffeine: How much is too much? Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600
The last study examined students who consumed caffeine and tried to correlate caffeine use to
grade point level of undergraduate students. It was found that students who drank caffeine via
coffee or sodas had a higher grade point average as opposed to students who did not consume
caffeine. The results were statistically significant (p= 0.04). However, many students reported
that they believed there was no correlation between their caffeine intake and their performance
on an exam.
Gonnella, A. (2009). The Relationship Between Caffeine Consumption and a Students GPA.
Retrieved from http://www2.ca.uky.edu/HES/index.php?p=659
What has worked? With previous research studies, self-report studies have been successful with
reporting anxiety levels and caffeine consumption. Correlation results were able to be computed
from the data collected. All physiological studies showed correlation but self-report studies did
not.
How will our study add to the knowledge base once it is done? What new information will
your study add to our understanding of the topic or addressing the topic/problem? Our
research will add to the knowledge base of caffeine research by providing to the data collected
amongst graduate students. Graduate students are under duress, and generally consume a lot of
caffeine. Our research will confirm or refute current data in regards to caffeine consumption and
self- reported stress levels. This research will provide specific data for Occupational Therapy
graduate students at Touro University Nevada.
General design of our study
Type of study: Non-experimental, Correlational
Participants: Convenience sample. We will be using the entire class, 31 students.
Procedures for collecting data: Self-report study for caffeine survey. Zung Self-Rating Anxiety
Scale Questionnaire. Caffeine self-report and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale will both be
recorded by participants daily for 5 days from Sept. 30
th
-Oct. 4
th
. Number of servings of caffeine
will be reported. We will then compile the servings and type of caffeine consumption into
milligrams. A numerical score for the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale will be reported and we
will compare the numerical score to the ratings in the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale scoring.
Figure out a time of day to measure anxiety level and caffeine consumption (at the end of the
day) do both at the same time.
Survey sample is attached.
Method of Data Analysis: Data analysis will be computed using SPSS.
Limitations: Cumulative effect of caffeine? Depending on when you take the test could alter
your anxiety level if the caffeine is out of your system. Temporal aspects of caffeine
consumption are not factored into this study. Short-period of time. Not a completely blind study.
Convenience sample only and a small sample so the generalizability is limited. It is impossible to
list every conceivable caffeine product. Study is not aware health conditions of participants. We
are not aware of individual stress factors not correlated with caffeine consumption such as
having a baby, death in the family, etc. There is no baseline taken by participants with zero
caffeine consumption measuring stress levels without any caffeine. The survey is a self-report so
there could be potential discrepancies with the recording of caffeine consumption such as
forgetting about a cup of coffee or not drinking the entire cup but reporting it anyway.