Community College Student-Researchers’ Real Life Application: Stress, Energy Drinks, and Career Choices!

ABSTRACT

Freshman community college students often show signs of stress as they balance their newly acquired responsibilities in the classroom with long-term responsibilities of family, employment, and household management. Logically, freshman students may try some new coping mechanisms to combat stress. This study was conducted by a freshman psychology student who was personally feeling increased levels of stress and increased consumption of energy drinks. During Introduction to Psychology, students were asked to create a psychology project using variables from their life experiences that brought about the variables of stress and caffeine consumption. Next, a Research Methods class and research scholarship generated Institutional Review Board approval, the use of Statistics Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for data analysis and the pursuit of publishing to share findings. The results of this study showed that students consuming energy drinks had significantly higher levels of stress. Seventy-four percent of student caffeine consumers drank 8-ounce energy drinks, which are commonly consumed with alcohol. Education about energy drinks on college campuses is recommended given the possibility that they are a potential contributor to stress and addictions. Lastly, given the positive experience of this student-researcher, it is recommended that community college students be given opportunities to explore research topics based on their lived experiences that offer the potential for them to feel more connected to their academics and career pursuits. The student-researcher for this study will be pursuing a career path in addictions counseling and will continue conducting research.