Cognitive Enhancement and Coping in an Australian University Student Sample

Abstract

Cognitive enhancement (CE) agents are those purported to improve or augment aspects of cognition such as working memory, creativity, and executive function in healthy individuals. CE by university students looking to improve their academic performance, particularly through the use of pharmacological agents (or nootropics), has become an area of increasing interest for researchers. However, studies on the prevalence of, and motivations behind, students' CE use at Australian universities are limited. This study aimed to contribute a new sample of prevalence data, as well as corroborate previous qualitative research that has suggested that emotion-focused and avoidant coping styles may make students more susceptible to utilizing CE drugs. A sample of N=633 individuals was recruited to complete the BCognitive Enhancement and Student Lifestyle Survey^online. The key questions of interest concerned students' enhancement drug usage habits, usage motivations, and coping styles. Analyses found that 6.32% of students indicated lifetime use of prescription CE agents for the purposes of study-related enhancement. Furthermore, dysfunctional coping strategies were associated with an increased likelihood of both lifestyle and prescription CE drug use. Findings from this study refine current understandings of enhancement drug use in Australia and are contextualized in regard to potential avenues for on-campus health interventions and regulatory opportunities. In particular, helping students to maintain manageable stress levels through identifying less harmful coping strategies may prove useful.

Neuroenhancing Substances Use, Exam Anxiety and Academic Performance in Bosnian-Herzegovinian Firstyear University Students

“…Although alcohol and marijuana are rarely used for the purpose of neuroenhancement (4) [e.g. 5.1% and 1.8% prevalence rates among Swiss students (4), and 3.8% and 1.0% among Australian students (10), respectively], in our study a high increase in alcohol (24.8%) and marijuana (19.0%) consumption during the week before an exam was found. Neither alcohol nor marijuana consumption was correlated with exam anxiety, which was also found in a study of German medical students (25).…”

“…None of our students reported the use of prescription or illicit psycostimulants compared to the prevalence in other countries mentioned earlier (4,8,(10)(11)(12)(13)31). Although these comparisons should be considered with caution because our study included only first-year students, the study of medical students in the US also showed psychostimulant non-users to be more likely to be first year students or to grow up outside of the US (32).…”

The Use of Cognitive Enhancers Among Medical Students

“…Riddell et al study's findings cleared the current understanding of drug usage in Australia and contextualized possible ways of intervening in university (students) health and opportunities for regulating. In particular, helping students to manage stress at a considerable level may be helpful by identifying less-harmful methods (26). The results of Sattler et al study showed that students tended to enhance their cognitive performance by drugs compared to university teachers; however, the overall willingness was low (27).…”

Towards an understanding of how stress and resources affect the nonmedical use of prescription drugs for performance enhancement among employees

“…Others may use different coping methods with the intention of maintaining high performance levels. This can be done by managing the demands (e.g., busy schedules) to reduce the associated costs of the extra effort (e.g., mental capacity) or to counteract strain and its negative consequences (Maier et al, 2015;Riddell et al, 2018;Wolff et al, 2014). Using NMUPD-CE drugs with the perceived possibility of increasing or maintaining alertness, concentration, and wakefulness are such coping methods.…”