Psychological impact of disaster and migration on preschool children following the 2023 Turkey earthquakes.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the Turkey 2023 earthquakes on preschool-aged children and to compare them with those with other life-threatening traumas. Thirty-four preschool children who experienced earthquakes on February 6, 2023, and applied to our outpatient clinic in the following 3 months, and 37 other trauma-experienced preschool children were included in this cross-sectional study. Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment/Post-Traumatic Stress sections were conducted. Parents were asked to complete the Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale and the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 to evaluate stress-related reactions alongside psychiatric problems of children. The results showed that acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more common in the earthquake-experienced group than in the other trauma-experienced group (Fisher's exact test, 52.9% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001 and 38.2% vs. 8.1%, p = 0.004, respectively). Migration after the earthquake had no additional impact on trauma-related psychiatric outcomes, either ASD or PTSD (p = .153, and p = 0.106, respectively); whereas sleep problems predicted PTSD (OR = 1.26, β = 0.42, p = 0.036) in the earthquake-experienced group. Our study provides implications for understanding the psychological impact of earthquakes and risk factors for PTSD among preschool children.