Institute for Social Drug Research, Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, Ghent University, Universiteitstraat 4, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
Department of Sociology, Jimma University, Jimma, P.O.Box 378, Ethiopia.
Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2023 Jun 27;18(1):39. doi: 10.1186/s13011-023-00545-y.
Khat (Catha edulis) is a plant commonly found in the horn of Africa whose leaves are chewed for their psycho-stimulant effects. Several studies have demonstrated the association between khat use and mental health problems. Nevertheless, evidence is mixed and inconsistent, warranting further review of available studies. This scoping review is aimed at investigating the content and quality of evidence base on the associations between khat use and mental health disorders and suggesting avenues for further research.
We used a scoping review methodology to map the existing evidence using PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and CINAHL databases. Primary studies focusing on the association between any pattern of khat use and any form of mental health disorders are included. The review focused on all age groups, any study design, all geographical locations, and any publication year. The terms used for searching eligible studies include khat, mental disorders, and various alternative terminologies. Narrative review is employed to present findings.
7,121 articles were found, of which 108 were eligible, conducted across 12 different countries. The majority of the studies was done during the last ten years and the studies mostly employed cross-sectional design. About 10 different categories of mental health disorders have been identified as showing associations with khat use. Despite many contradictory findings between the studies, most of the evidence base suggests that khat use is associated with mental health disorders. Non-specific psychological distress is the most frequently mentioned mental health problem (reported in 26.9% of the studies). Khat use as a predictor variable is mostly assessed using a 'yes/no' category, and as a result, dose-dependent effects of khat use on mental health are not given much consideration.
Although most of the studies associate khat use with mental health disorders, the causal relationships are inconclusive given the cross-sectional design of the studies, and the presence of potential confounders and several forms of biases. Available studies also report contradictory findings. Further studies are recommended using prospective designs, standardized and valid measures of khat use, and focusing on specific types of mental health disorders.
阿拉伯茶（Catha edulis）是一种常见于非洲之角的植物，其叶子因具有精神刺激作用而被咀嚼。有几项研究表明，阿拉伯茶的使用与心理健康问题之间存在关联。然而，证据存在分歧且不一致，需要进一步审查现有研究。本范围综述旨在调查关于阿拉伯茶使用与心理健康障碍之间关联的证据基础的内容和质量，并为进一步研究提供建议。
我们使用范围综述方法，利用 PubMed、SCOPUS、Embase 和 CINAHL 数据库绘制现有证据图谱。纳入的主要研究集中在任何形式的阿拉伯茶使用与任何形式的心理健康障碍之间的关联。该综述关注所有年龄组、任何研究设计、所有地理位置和任何出版年份。用于搜索合格研究的术语包括阿拉伯茶、精神障碍和各种替代术语。采用叙述性综述呈现研究结果。
共发现 7121 篇文章，其中 108 篇符合条件，研究分布在 12 个不同的国家。大多数研究是在过去十年进行的，研究大多采用横断面设计。已经确定了大约 10 种不同类别的精神健康障碍与阿拉伯茶使用有关。尽管研究之间存在许多相互矛盾的发现，但大多数证据基础表明阿拉伯茶的使用与心理健康障碍有关。非特异性心理困扰是最常提到的心理健康问题（在 26.9%的研究中报告）。作为预测变量的阿拉伯茶使用大多使用“是/否”类别进行评估，因此，阿拉伯茶使用对心理健康的剂量依赖性影响没有得到太多关注。
尽管大多数研究将阿拉伯茶的使用与心理健康障碍联系起来，但鉴于研究的横断面设计以及潜在的混杂因素和多种形式的偏倚的存在，因果关系尚不确定。现有的研究也报告了相互矛盾的发现。建议进一步研究采用前瞻性设计、标准化和有效的阿拉伯茶使用测量方法，并专注于特定类型的心理健康障碍。
