Exploring the use of cognitive enhancement substances among Portuguese university students

Cavaco, Afonso; Ribeiro, João; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig

doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100097

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Our survey revealed that 53% of medical and dentistry students used at least one substance considered as CEs during their studies. In other countries, the prevalence of CE use was lower, e.g., 32% in Portugal [ 18 ], and higher, e.g., 87.6% in Pakistan [ 10 ], than in our study. Even excluding from the consideration students using only caffeine, almost 42% of our respondents used at least one other CE.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 81%

“…Since there are many contradictory papers published about the prevalence of the use of CEs in different regions worldwide [ 11 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], we decided to evaluate this problem among medical students in Poland, primarily due to very scant data from Poland available in this field. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the frequency of the use of various substances with a potential impact on cognitive function among medical and dentistry students in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic, the type of these compounds, and their effects on the questioned persons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do Medical Universities Students Use Cognitive Enhancers while Learning?—Conclusions from the Study in Poland

Merwid-Ląd

Passon

Drymluch

et al. 2023

Life

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Background: Stress and everyday problems may impact memory and cognition. Therefore, many people use cognitive enhancers (CEs), sold for prescription, as over-the-counter drugs, or dietary supplements, believing they may help with everyday functioning. Our study was designed to answer whether taking CEs is common among Medical University students and to identify which substances are mainly used. Methods and Results: An anonymous online questionnaire was answered by 479 students of Medical (88%) and Dentistry (12%) Faculties in Poland. Women constituted the majority of respondents (63%). CEs were used by 53% of respondents, with the most frequent being caffeine, ginseng, nicotine, theanine, ginkgo, and lecithin. Some persons used CEs that are available only with a prescription. The most important reasons for the use of CEs were to increase arousal and improve concentration (mentioned by 81% and 73%, respectively). Over 65% of students experienced some undesired/adverse effects after taking CEs, with tachycardia being the most common, followed by sleep disturbances (reported by 51% and 40%, respectively). Conclusions: More than half of the respondents from the Medical and Dentistry Faculties reported using CEs, despite their unproven efficacy and not-well-established safety. This raises significant concern about the knowledge of young persons regarding CEs and should encourage universities to undertake educational actions.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Medical Universities Students Use Cognitive Enhancers while Learning?—Conclusions from the Study in Poland

Merwid-Ląd

Passon

Drymluch

et al. 2023

Life

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“…This search was carried out mostly in forums dedicated to students and was mainly related to the topics of improving the effectiveness of studying, of reducing the feeling of "I heard about some pills" -the online as a sharing space and source of information about performance consumption among students tiredness, and of improving concentration. These motives are well received by the participants in the forums, unlike other motivations that may be connoted with the intention to gain unfair advantage over peers in evaluations (the results are similar to those obtained by Vrecko, 2015 andCavaco, Ribeiro &Norgaard, 2022). On the other hand, the collected information does not tell us directly what led young people to resort to the Internet for these purposes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

«I heard about some pills»: the online as a sharing space and source of information about performance consumption among students

Egreja

Elias

Lopes

2023

Communication & Society

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Departing from a broader sociological study, this article presents exploratory research seeking to analyse practices of online information exchange on the consumption of medicines and food supplements among students, mainly to improve cognitive performance. It aims to show that the Internet is a relevant space which should be considered when analysing where lay people, specifically students, get information about medicines. The empirical field was limited to online open discussion forums, websites, and blogs registered in Portugal, and the collected information was subjected to a qualitative content analysis. The research took place between January 2021 and February 2022, and the analysed threads date back to March 2015. The results show that young people use these platforms to ask questions related to the consumption of medicines and supplements for cognitive performance. While sharing experiences is central to the validation of practices and behaviours, key elements in this discussion also include the construction of a shared social identity, the possibility of anonymity, and the attribution of credibility to the sources of information.

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Time to critically appraise the promise of prevalence rates in the cognitive enhancement debate

Forlini

2022

Performance Enhancement & Health

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Exploring the use of cognitive enhancement substances among Portuguese university students

Cited by 4 publications

References 63 publications

Do Medical Universities Students Use Cognitive Enhancers while Learning?—Conclusions from the Study in Poland

Do Medical Universities Students Use Cognitive Enhancers while Learning?—Conclusions from the Study in Poland

«I heard about some pills»: the online as a sharing space and source of information about performance consumption among students

Time to critically appraise the promise of prevalence rates in the cognitive enhancement debate

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