Correlations Between Illicit ADHD Medication Usage, Academic Performance and Consumption of Caffeinated Products

Authors: Ysabel Bote, Hera Khan

Field of Study: Integrative Neuroscience

Program Affiliation: B-SMART

Faculty Mentors: Lina Begdache

Easel: 68

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Illicit medication use and frequent caffeine consumption can affect academic performance among young people. This study involved 906 participants who volunteered to complete a cross-sectional survey. The latter included the Ontario Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), the Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (CaffEQ), and Academic Performance Scale (APS) to examine the possible relationships between illicit ADHD medication usage, frequent caffeine consumption, and academic performance. Pearson’s Coefficient Correlation using IBM (SPSS) Version 28.0 identified the following patterns: illicit ADHD medication usage produced a negative association with enhancing academic preparedness (p<0.01), frequent caffeine consumption is associated with poor academic habits (p<0.01), students who already regularly consume caffeine were less likely to concurrently use ADHD medications without a prescription, or to combine them with caffeine (p<0.01). These findings suggest that frequent caffeine consumption and illicit use of ADHD medication can individually have a negative impact on academic performance.