MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS OF AFGHAN REFUGEE CHILDREN: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Objective: This study was carried out in order to determine the anxiety and depression levels of refugee children. Material and Method: This study was carried out with 140 refugee children studying at secondary and high schools located in the central district of Erzincan province of Turkey between January and April 2022. Data were collected with Socio-demographic Questionnaire, “State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children”, and “Child Depression Scale”. Percent, means, simple t-test, One Way Anova Test, and multiple regression analysis were utilized in the analysis of the data. Results: In the study, the variables of loss of father, education, separation from the family during the war, duration of life in Turkey, having any chronic disease, and smoking were observed to be eff ective on the total score of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIC). While it was found that the mother/ father alive, the duration of living in Turkey, and having any chronic disease had an eff ect on the CDI total score (p<0.05). It was determined that the total mean score of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was 35.03 ±7.10, and the mean total score of CDI was 16.34 ±8.28. Furthermore, it was determined that 20.7% of refugee children had high levels of anxiety and 37.9% had depression. Conclusion: Study fi ndings have showed that refugee children have mental health problems while less than half of them experience high levels of anxiety and depression.