Background: The internet helps us obtain necessary information, facilitates social communication, and provides access to entertainment content. The internet can also lead to the behavioral addictive condition termed internet addiction (IA) if used excessively. As active internet users, medical students are susceptible to IA, which is known to lead to depression and improper medical care delivery, poor academic performance, worse sleep quality, and undesirable financial issues. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess medical students’ pooled IA prevalence. Methods: The analysis included thirteen cross-sectional studies involving 4787 medical students. Cumulative, subgroup, and meta-regression meta-analyses were applied, using the random-effects model and the restricted maximum likelihood method. Results: The cumulative meta-analysis revealed a rise in the proportion of IA from 0.08 to 0.29, with minor fluctuations between 2015 and 2022. The IA prevalence in lower-middle-income countries was approximately three times higher than in high-income ones. Age and gender were not associated with IA among medical students. Conclusions: The worldwide prevalence of IA was 0.29, with a 95% CI between 0.19 and 0.41. Considering negative IA implications for medical students’ well-being, policymakers and all stakeholders should pay special attention to addressing IA within the medical student community.

This study examines the impact of an educational program based on artificial intelligence (AI) on improving social intelligence among Oralman students (a group of repatriates from among ethnic Kazakhs who faced unique integration problems in Kazakhstan). The main objective was to assess whether targeted interventions can effectively improve social skills that are crucial for successful social integration. The study involved 300 students aged 20 to 22 years, divided into experimental and control groups. Students participated in a six-month AI program designed to develop social intelligence using interactive tools and modeling. Pre-test and post-test assessments used the Tromso social intelligence scale (TSIS), focusing on areas such as social information processing, social skills, and social awareness. Following the intervention, the outcomes revealed that the experimental group had made notable progress in every area that was examined. Specifically, in this group, the overall score increased significantly from 59.37 to 82.33, and the average post-test scores climbed to 25.87 for social information processing, 27.33 for social skills, and 29.13 for social awareness. On the contrary, minimal changes observed in the scores of the control group emphasize the effectiveness of the AI-based program. The analysis of secondary data further confirmed the results: t-tests showed statistically significant differences in the post-test scores between the groups. The progress of the experimental group highlights the potential of AI-based educational tools in the development of basic social competencies, offering promising opportunities to support the integration of Oralman students into Kazakh society.

The relevance of this work is due to the wide prevalence of mixed anxiety-depressive disorders among general medical practice patients. At the present stage of development of the psychiatric service in the Republic of Kazakhstan, a new concept has been developed that assumes the transfer of a number of borderline mixed anxiety-depressive disorders to the competence of PHC doctors with the need for their treatment with modern antidepressants. The purpose of this work. Development and implementation in general clinical practice of modern methods of diagnosis and treatment of mixed anxiety-depressive disorders. Material and methods. 30 patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorders of the borderline level, who were treated on an outpatient basis (Nursultan) was examined. The study was conducted using international psychometric scales: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS), Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale (HDRS, HAM-A). Results and discussion. As a result of the study, it was found that among patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorders who were treated on an outpatient basis, young people of working age from 21 to 50 years (83.3%) prevailed, in whom psychogenic anxiety-depressive disorders accounted for 60%. In the course of clinical observations, objective data were obtained indicating that when treating depressive states of mild and moderate severity with Mianserin drug on an outpatient basis, by the end of the second week of treatment, there is a fairly pronounced positive dynamics in the reduction of symptoms of depression. By the end of the second month of taking this drug (8 weeks), most patients had no symptoms of depression. Conclusions. Practical clinical observations have shown that the modern Mianserin antidepressant, possessing a wide range of clinical effects combining thymoanaleptic action proper with anti-anxiety, sedative and hypnotic effects is well tolerated by patients and can be recommended for widespread use in the treatment of mixed anxiety-depressive disorders in general medical practice. Keywords: depression, anxiety, primary health care, general medical practice, antidepressants.

Introduction. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by the appearance of eczematous and lichenoid rashes, as well as severe itching. This disease can cause psychological problems, both in the child himself and in his parents. Difficulties in caring for a child with atopic dermatitis can lead to emotional exhaustion in the mother, provoking symptoms of depression and anxiety. The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship of anxiety and depression of mothers with clinical and anamnestic data of children with atopic dermatitis. Materials and methods.The cross-sectional study included 120 mothers of children with atopic dermatitis aged 2 months to 14 years inclusive. All children were assessed the severity of the course of the disease, the prevalence of the process, its form. To assess the psycho-emotional status of mothers, the GAD-7 questionnaires were used to determine the level of anxiety of a woman and PHQ-9 to determine the level of depression. Results. According to the results of our study, it was found that among children suffering from atopic dermatitis with higher prevalence in girls. Clinical manifestations of the disease, as a rule, begin at the age of two months to two years, and the predominant form is the erythematous-squamous form with limited localization of the disease and a mild course. Among the psycho-emotional disorders in mothers of children with atopic dermatitis, anxiety was most often observed. The presence of anxiety in the mother increases the likelihood of a moderate course of the disease in children by almost 1.5 times. At the same time, depression in the mother was not associated with any clinical and anamnestic factor of the disease. Conclusions. Timely diagnosis of anxiety and the implementation of measures aimed at reducing it in mothers of children suffering from atopic dermatitis can help reduce the likelihood of disease progression. Введение. Атопический дерматит является хроническим рецидивирующим воспалительным заболеванием кожи, характеризующимся появлением экзематозных и лихеноидных высыпаний, а также сильным зудом. Данное заболевание может вызвать психологические проблемы, как у самого ребенка, так и у его родителей. Трудности в уходе за ребенком с атопическим дерматитом могут привести к психоэмоциональному истощению матери, провоцируя симптомы депрессии и тревожности. Целью данного исследования являлось изучение связи клинико-анамнестических данных детей с атопическим дерматитом с проявлениями тревожности и депрессии у их матерей. Материалы и методы. В поперечном исследовании приняли участие 120 матерей детей с атопическим дерматитом в возрасте от 2 месяцев до 14 лет включительно. У всех детей производилась оценка тяжести течения заболевания, распространенность процесса, его форма. Для оценки психоэмоционального статуса матерей использовались опросники GAD-7 для определения уровня тревожности женщины и PHQ-9 для определения уровня депрессии. Результаты. По результатам нашего исследования было обнаружено, что среди детей, страдающих атопическим дерматитом, доминируют девочки. Клинические проявления заболевания, как правило, начинаются в возрасте от двух месяцев до двух лет, а преобладающей формой является эритематозно-сквамозная форма с ограниченной локализацией заболевания и легким течением. Из психоэмоциональных нарушений у матерей детей с атопическим дерматитом наиболее часто наблюдалась тревожность. Среднетяжелое течение атопического дерматита ассоциировалось с 1,5 - кратным повышением вероятности развития тревожности у их матерей. В то же время депрессия у матери не была связана с каким-либо клинико-анамнестическим фактором заболевания у ее ребенка. Выводы. Своевременная диагностика тревожности и осуществление мероприятий, нацеленных на ее снижение у матерей детей, страдающих атопическим дерматитом, могут способствовать снижению вероятности прогрессирования заболевания. Кіріспе. Атопиялық дерматит - экзематозды және лихеноидты бөртпелердің пайда болуымен, сондай-ақ қатты қышумен сипатталатын созылмалы қайталанатын қабыну тері ауруы. Бұл ауру баланың өзінде де,...

Despite a significant rise of reported eating disorders all over the world, data from Kazakhstan is obscured by lack of recognition of these conditions as serious health issue that have severe lifelong consequences. The attention to these conditions is long overdue and requires concentrated efforts from public, academia, and public health.

Background/Objectives: The mental health difficulties of youth in Central Asia are of increasing concern. This exploratory qualitative study explores university students’ accounts of barriers to and facilitators of using campus-based mental health services, their perceptions of accessibility and quality, and their suggestions for service improvement. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 undergraduate students who responded to open invitations and studied at five universities (two private and three public) in Astana, Kazakhstan. Participants fell into three mutually exclusive groups: students who had used campus services (n = 6), students who had attempted to use them but did not receive a service (n = 2), and students who were aware of the services but had never attempted to use them (n = 3). The data were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis with a hybrid deductive–inductive approach. Results: Five themes were developed: personal triggers for seeking help; accessibility and institutional barriers; cultural and societal influences; experiences of service quality; and participants’ suggestions for improvement. Participants described experienced barriers (e.g., appointment delays, restricted opening hours and phone-only booking), perceived barriers (e.g., limited visibility of services and predominantly Russian-language provision) and anticipated barriers (e.g., family stigma and fear of psychiatric registration). Assessments of service quality came primarily from the six service users and centered on transparency about counsellors’ approaches and on session length. Participants suggested increasing service visibility, offering more flexible booking and opening hours, providing information about counsellors’ qualifications and approaches, offering support in more than one language, and reducing stigma through culturally sensitive education. Conclusions: Strengthening campus mental health services requires addressing institutional and sociocultural barriers to help-seeking. These findings are exploratory and specific to the studied context. Therefore, further research across diverse settings is needed to explore the transferability of these findings.