Correlation Between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Sleep Hygiene in Adults Surviving the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes.

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7,7 and 7,6 struck the Kahramanmaraş region in Turkey. Over 50.000 people lost their lives and more than half a million buildings were damaged as a result of these earthquakes. Earthquake survivors may develop post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep hygiene problems. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between post-traumatic stress and sleep hygiene among surviving adults six months after the February 6th Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes in Turkey. This study was conducted with 1004 earthquake survivors in 11 provinces influenced by the February 6th Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Turkey. The data was collected with Personal Information Form, Impact of Events Scale-Revised, and the Sleep Hygiene Index. It has been determined that 54.1% of earthquake survivors scored ≥ 33 on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. The level of post-traumatic stress disorder was high and their sleep hygiene index level was above average among earthquake survivors. A strongly significant positive correlation was observed between the Impact of Events Scale-Revised and the Sleep Hygiene Index. It is recommended to plan and implement community-based psychological interventions to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder and improve sleep hygiene among survivors after earthquakes.