Effective Factors on Students’ Academic Attrition in Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Background and purpose: The aim of this research is to determine the factors contributing to academic attrition among day – course students of Lorestan university of medical sciences.Methods: In this case – control study all the day – course students who had at least one semester of an average mark under 12 in academic year 2000-2001 were chosen and then the same number of students with an average mark over 15 were selected randomly as control group.Results: Data gathered using GHQ questionnaire for measurement of mental health and study satisfaction questionnaire, as well as variables such as average mark, family economic status and their study files information which are saved in computer were used too.Of all students participated in this study, 41 students had been failed during last year, including 24 females (58.54%) and 17 males (41.46%) considering the proportion of female and male students, academic attrition in male students (6.69%), in comparison with female students, (3.66%) is higher.From viewpoint of age, it was determined that there were a negative correlation between age and average mark (r= -0.49).Analysis of results showed that there exist relationship between marital status and academic attrition (p<0.05), but no relation found between accommodation place (dormitory and non - dormitory) and academic attrition. From 41 failed students, 16 cases (40%) were students of medicine and the least rate of academic attrition related to student of anesthesia. There was a significant difference between case and control groups from viewpoint of anxiety (p<0.05).Results indicate that failure rate is observed more among Shahed quota students. No significant relationship was there between satisfaction from field of study and average mark. And between socio – economic level and academic attrition there was 0.18 correlation.Conclusion: Regarding the above mentioned results, academic attrition in students is a multi–factorial phenomenon and different factors such as students’ mental health during study in university must be taken into account, and also it is suggested to exert age limitation from certain fields of study such medicine because results of this study showed that there is a negative relation between age and academic attrition.