{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T20:10:52Z","timestamp":1782418252852,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744243200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005872","name":"Bahir Dar University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005872","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Academic performance measures student achievement and is assessed using school exams and ongoing evaluations. Regular khat consumption can negatively affect neurocognitive function, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities, leading to decreased academic achievement, especially in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess academic performance and associated factors among khat chewer and non-khat chewer high school students in Motta in northwestern Ethiopia in 2023.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between April 26, and June 10, 2023, among 663 high school students, of whom 221 were khat chewers and 442 were non-chewers. A multistage sampling method was used to select participants. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to assess students\u2019 academic performance. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed at P &amp;lt; 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval to identify statistically significant variables.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study participants, 45 (20.7%) Khat chewers and 41 (9.4%) non-chewers, had failed\/poor academic performance. Of the students who scored less than 50% on one subject, 83 were (38.2%) khat chewers and 107 (24.6%) were non-chewers. The mean of academic performance was 59.82 and 66.45 for khat chewers and non-chewers, respectively. The findings showed that the chance of having an excellent academic performance was 35% lower for female students [AOR=0.65:95%CI: -0.819\u20130.055] and 45% lower for those unsatisfied with their school environment [AOR: 0.55, 95% CI: -1.014\u20130.173]. The chance of having an excellent academic performance was 6.43 times higher for those whose fathers had an educational grade of 7\u201312 [AOR: 6.43, 95%CI: 1.098\u20132.624] and 6.59 times higher for those with fathers who had a diploma [AOR: 6.59, 95% CI: 1.026\u20132.745], 8.01 times higher for those with a family income of 2001\u20135000ETB [AOR=8.01:95% CI: 1.479\u20132.683], 2.07 times higher for those with no alcohol use disorder [AOR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.21\u20132.93], and 6.84 times higher for those with no depressive disorders [AOR: 6.84, 95% CI: 1.056\u20132.791].<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Academic performance was lower among khat chewers than among non-khat chewers, and was affected by factors such as family income, father\u2019s educational status, classroom environment, depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder. Enhancing school-community relations and increasing awareness can enhance academic performance.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1452018","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]],"date-time":"2025-04-10T05:13:09Z","timestamp":1744261989000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Academic performance and its associated factors among khat-chewer and non-khat chewer high school students in Ethiopia, 2023"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Tilahun","family":"Tesfa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tilahun Belete","family":"Mossie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meseret","family":"Tadesse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yonas Deressa","family":"Guracho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Birhanu Mengist","family":"Munie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/09578230710778196","article-title":"Academic optimism and student achievement in urban elementary schools","volume":"45","author":"Smith","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Educ Administration"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpubeco.2006.05.010","article-title":"Patience among children","volume":"91","author":"Bettinger","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Public Economics"},{"key":"B3","first-page":"8","article-title":"Effects of drug abuse on the Academic performance of university students focusing on Students in Nigeria and Kenyan Public Universities","volume":"1","author":"Mohamud","year":"2021","journal-title":"Edith Cowan J Educ"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1145\/2750858.2804251","article-title":"SmartGPA: how smartphones can assess and predict academic performance of college students","author":"Wang","year":"2015"},{"key":"B5","first-page":"210","article-title":"The human rights case for banning the production and use of khat in Ethiopia","volume":"7","author":"Jemaneh","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Med Sci"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1080\/00094056.2013.757490","article-title":"Seven myths about young children and technology","volume":"89","author":"Plowman","year":"2013","journal-title":"Childhood Educ"},{"key":"B7","volume-title":"An Assessment On The Effects Of Peer Pressure On Academic Performance Of Students In The Case Of Aleta Wondo Secondary Schools, Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia","author":"Desta","year":"2019"},{"key":"B8","first-page":"SART. 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