Understanding Cognitive Failures through Psychosocial Variables in Daily Life of Students

Abstract

BACKGROUND Cognitive failures impair the quality of life. Students are often exposed to stressful situations, struggle to make a balance in life, have time management issues and tend to procrastinate, feel too much pressure to succeed, and find it difficult to cope with study and exam anxiety. In this study, we investigated cognitive failures through psychosocial variables in daily life of students and relationship between anxiety and cognitive failures. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 175 students (78.29 % female and 21.71 % male). Medical students comprised 52.57 % of the sample (n = 92), while 47.43 % were psychology students (n = 83). All students were in the first year of education at University of Sarajevo. The survey used the sociodemographic questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety (Form Y), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire CFQ. Results were obtained by independent sample test and Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). RESULTS Using pharmacotherapy was common among students. Medical students (n = 55) have used pharmacotherapy twice as frequently in comparison to 32.1 % (n = 26) of psychology students. Comparing results of students, there were statistically significant differences between consumption of pharmacotherapy, cigarettes, alcohol and anxiety in experience of cognitive failures. Out of 175 students, 130 (74.29 %) have high level of anxiety. Anxiety was statistically significantly correlated with the total of cognitive failures, but also with forgetfulness, distractibility, and false triggering subscales. The largest association was with total CFQ (r = 0.453, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Results of this study show that variables such as consuming alcohol, cigarettes, painkillers, and anxiety could cause cognitive failures. Student life in addition to the obligations and pressures created by academic engagement itself involves many changes and just thinking about it can cause anxiety symptoms. Accordingly, the undesirable outcomes that cognitive failures can cause maladaptive student habits and anxiety. It should be a treated as a critical public health issue.