Cognitive repercussions of alcohol consumption on academic performance at university: a preliminary study

Introduction. Excessive alcohol consumption is the most widespread toxic habit in the world, and a particular problem among young people for whom alcohol is part of their recreational habits. The start of university studies coincides with adulthood when alcohol becomes easily available and used as a tool to deal with new stressors. It has been found that alcohol can alter the neuronal structure and physiology of the brain, affecting the prefrontal cortex and other areas associated with cognitive impairment, specifically of executive functions. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption among 100 first-year university students and to explore the relationship between academic performance and profiles of alcohol consumption ("risk free", "at risk consumption", "probable alcohol dependence syndrome or ADS"). Method. The sample consisted of 100 students (24% men and 76% women) between the ages of 17 and 25. All were first-year undergraduates studying a Degree in Psychology at the Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV), Spain. All participants were administered the AUDIT, a test used to assess alcohol consumption, four tests to assess executive functions. The average marks from the first semester of the first year of the Psychology degree was used as a measure of academic performance. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were used. Results. The results show that more than half of the students have consumption habits that can be categorised as "at risk" or "probable alcohol dependency syndrome". The Kruskal-Wallis test suggests that there is a direct link between the consumption profile ("risk free", "at risk consumption", "probable alcohol dependency syndrome"), and academic performance (p=.011) and between the consumption profile and executive functions, specifically cognitive flexibility (p=.005), phonological verbal fluency (p=.001), working memory (p=.017) and processing speed (p=.001). No differences were detected for inhibitory control. Discussion and Conclusion. These findings confirmed the negative cognitive impact of alcohol abuse during this period and the need for prevention campaigns in the university environment.