The effect of caffeine consumption on perceived stress and depression in adolescents

This research was carried out as a cross-sectional study in the 2019-2020 academic year in order to determine the relationship between caffeine consumption and perceived stress and depression in high school senior adolescents. The research was carried out in 9 high schools in the city center affiliated to the Yozgat National Education Directorate and formed the sample of 527 adolescent studies that met the inclusion criteria. After obtaining the permission of the institution and the ethics committee, the data were collected with the Adolescent Information Form prepared by the researchers, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Reynold Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS). Descriptive statistical analyses, Shapiro Wilk test of normality, chi square test, kruskal wallis, independent two-sample t test, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey test, Spearman correlation analysis and linear regression models were used to evaluate the data. p<0.10 for regression analyses; p<0.05 was considered statistically significant for univariate analyses. In all, 45.2% of adolescents consume caffeine almost every day and the median daily caffeine consumption of adolescents was found to be 700 mL. It was determined that the types of caffeinated beverages consumed by the adolescents most frequently were brewed black tea, instant coffee types, cola, hot cocoa, cold tea, energy drink, herbal tea and Turkish coffee. It was found that caffeine is most commonly consumed to stay awake, keep the mind clear, and relieve fatigue, and adolescents most commonly experience symptoms such as insomnia, headaches, and restlessness when they do not consume caffeine. It was determined that perceived stres and depression scores of those who had insomnia when they did not vi consume caffeine were statistically higher (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between the amount of daily caffeine consumption and the perceived stres and depression scores (p>0.05). According to the frequency of caffeine consumption, it was determined that the PSS-SRA, PSS-Total and RADS scores of the adolescents who consumed caffeine almost every day were statistically higher than those who consumed caffeine 1-5 times a week and not more than 1-4 times a month (p<0.05). It is recommended that adolescents be informed about risky caffeine consumption, the effects of caffeine addiction and coping with stress through education and intervention studies to be organized by pediatric nurses. 2022, 73