INTRODUCTION

Psychological distress refers to a set of painful mental and physical symptoms of anxiety and depression, which often coexist and coincide with common somatic complaints and chronic conditions. In Kazakhstan, mental disorders are the second leading cause of years lived with disability. Currently, medical education in Kazakhstan is undergoing comprehensive reform, which creates an additional burden on faculty, fostering mental health concerns.

METHODS

A quantitative observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 large medical universities in Kazakhstan. Data were obtained from 715 faculty academics by using an online self-reported DASS-21. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS version 20.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to evaluate the relationship between predictor and outcome variables.

RESULTS

The total prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 40.6%, 41.3%, and 53.0%, respectively. Younger age (p = 0.002), female gender (p = 0.001), being single (p = 0.044) or in a relationship (p = 0.001), having chronic diseases (p < 0.001), holding Master (p = 0.036) or PhD degree (p = 0.040), employment status (p = 0.034), and being involved in additional activities (p = 0.049) were significantly associated with different dimensions of distress.

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly half of the study population reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Due to the higher prevalence of psychological distress amongst academic medicine faculty, determined risk factors must be taken into consideration in developing policies for mental issues prevention.