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The effects of binge drinking on college students' next-day academic test-taking performance and mood state

  1. Jonathan Howland1,*,
  2. Damaris J. Rohsenow2,
  3. Jacey A. Greece3,
  4. Caroline A. Littlefield1,
  5. Alissa Almeida4,
  6. Timothy Heeren1,
  7. Michael Winter1,
  8. Caleb A. Bliss1,
  9. Sarah Hunt1,
  10. John Hermos1

Article first published online: 10 MAR 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02880.x

Issue

Addiction

Addiction

Volume 105, Issue 4, pages 655–665, April 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Howland, J., Rohsenow, D. J., Greece, J. A., Littlefield, C. A., Almeida, A., Heeren, T., Winter, M., Bliss, C. A., Hunt, S. and Hermos, J. (2010), The effects of binge drinking on college students' next-day academic test-taking performance and mood state. Addiction, 105: 655–665. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2009.02880.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Youth Alcohol Prevention Center at Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

  2. 2

    Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA,

  3. 3

    Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA, USA and

  4. 4

    Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

*Jonathan Howland, Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 801 Massachusetts Avenue, Crosstown Center—3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA. E-mail: jhowl@bu.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 10 MAR 2010
  2. Article first published online: 10 MAR 2010
  3. Submitted 27 July 2009; initial review completed 30 September 2009; final version accepted 29 October 2009

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Keywords:

  • Academic performance;
  • binge drinking;
  • intoxication;
  • mood state;
  • neurocognitive performance;
  • students

ABSTRACT

Aim  To assess the effects of binge drinking on students' next-day academic test-taking performance.

Design  A placebo-controlled cross-over design with randomly assigned order of conditions. Participants were randomized to either alcoholic beverage [mean = 0.12 g% breath alcohol concentration (BrAC)] or placebo on the first night and then received the other beverage a week later. The next day, participants were assessed on test-taking, neurocognitive performance and mood state.

Participants  A total of 196 college students (≥21 years) recruited from greater Boston.

Setting  The trial was conducted at the General Clinical Research Center at the Boston Medical Center.

Measurements  The Graduate Record Examinations© (GREs) and a quiz on a lecture presented the previous day measured test-taking performance; the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES3) and the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) measured neurocognitive performance; and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) measured mood.

Findings  Test-taking performance was not affected on the morning after alcohol administration, but mood state and attention/reaction-time were affected.

Conclusion  Drinking to a level of 0.12 g% BrAC does not affect next-day test-taking performance, but does affect some neurocognitive measures and mood state.

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