Research Article

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sleep Problems and Nutritional Status after the 7.8 and 7.5 Magnitude Earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study

Volume: 10 Number: 1 March 17, 2025
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sleep Problems and Nutritional Status after the 7.8 and 7.5 Magnitude Earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress, anxiety levels, sleep problems, and nutritional status among earthquake survivors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted nine months after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes with 201 adult earthquake survivors, including 87 men and 114 women, with a mean age of 29.46 ± 12.19 years. An online questionnaire including demographic characteristics, the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the PTSD Symptom-Self Report Scale (PSS-SR), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and food frequency questionnaire was performed. Participants self-reported their height and body weight before and after the earthquake. The scales were correlated and compared with gender. Results: According to the PSS-SR classification, 58.3% of participants had severe and 11.9% had extremely severe PTSD symptoms. Additionally, 51.2% experienced extremely severe anxiety, and 75.6% had insomnia. There was a moderate positive correlation between IES-R and stress (r: 0.634, p<0.001), anxiety (r: 0.589, p<0.001), depression (r: 0.610, p<0.001), ISI (r: 0.492, p<0.001), and PSS-SR (r: 0.696, p<0.001). Nutrient intake was adequate according to the RDA, but there were significant differences in body weight and body mass index before and after the earthquake (p<0.001). Conclusion: The earthquakes significantly affected survivors, leading to a high burden of psychiatric disorders. It is essential to strengthen public health services in this area.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Public Health Nutrition

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

March 10, 2025

Publication Date

March 17, 2025

Submission Date

September 24, 2024

Acceptance Date

January 14, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 10 Number: 1

AMA
1.Bayram HM, İpek R, Sancak BN, Eroğlu MS. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sleep Problems and Nutritional Status after the 7.8 and 7.5 Magnitude Earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study. OTJHS. 2025;10(1):29-37. doi:10.26453/otjhs.1555533

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