Personal, familial and social factors associated with academic failure in university students: A case-control study in Iran

Abstract

The objective of the study was to identify the main personal, familial and social factors associated with the academic failure of Iranian students. This was a case-control study conducted in Semnan University. The case group consisted of the students who had failed academically and the matched control group was selected randomly from among the classmates of the students in the case group. The conditional logistic regression model was used for analysis at the 5% significance level. In the present study, 34 women (42.5%) and 46 men (57.5%) were interviewed as the case group and the same number of people were interviewed as the control group. Working part-time as a student (OR=6.78, P<0.001), higher levels of parents' education (OR=0.16, P<0.001), pre-existing psychiatric diseases (OR=5.67, P=0.029), interest in the major of study (OR=0.18, P<0.001), recent experience of stress (OR=4.14, P=0.009) and cigarette smoking/alcohol consumption (OR=3.31, P=0.022) were shown to be associated with academic failure respectively and independently. Identification of the conditions associated with academic failure in the students is the prerequisite to taking effective and timely measures. It is highly suggested to pay more attention to tertiary students who were less interested in their major of study, have recent experience of stress, working part-time as a student, lower levels of parents' education, and smoking or alcohol consumption in addition to screen and address pre-existing psychiatric diseases.