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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Gareth RichardsORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Previous research suggests that effects of caffeine on behaviour are positive unless one is investigating sensitive groups or ingestion of large amounts.Children are a potentially sensitive subgroup, and especially so considering the high levels of caffeine currently found in energy drinks. The presentstudy used data from the Cornish Academies Project to investigate associations between caffeine (both its total consumption, and that derivedseparately from energy drinks, cola, tea, and coffee) and single-item measures of stress, anxiety, and depression, in a large cohort of secondary schoolchildren from the South West of England. After adjusting for additional dietary, demographic, and lifestyle covariates, positive associations betweentotal weekly caffeine intake and anxiety and depression remained significant, and the effects differed between males and females. Initially, effectswere also observed in relation to caffeine consumed specifically from coffee. However, coffee was found to be the major contributor to high overallcaffeine intake, providing explanation as to why effects relating to this source were also apparent. Findings from the current study increase ourknowledge regarding associations between caffeine intake and stress, anxiety, and depression in secondary school children, though the cross-sectionalnature of the research made it impossible to infer causality.
Author(s): Richards G, Smith AP
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Psychopharmacology
Year: 2015
Volume: 29
Issue: 12
Pages: 1236-1247
Print publication date: 01/12/2015
Online publication date: 27/10/2015
Acceptance date: 24/09/2015
Date deposited: 05/07/2018
ISSN (print): 0269-8811
ISSN (electronic): 1461-7285
Publisher: Sage
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881115612404
DOI: 10.1177/0269881115612404
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