TR
EN
An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes
Öz
Background: On February 6, 2023, two devastating earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 struck Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. Children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable groups to experi-ence significant psychosocial impacts following such disasters. Given Türkiye's large pediatric popula-tion, understanding the mental health outcomes in this group is of national importance. Post-earthquake psychiatric symptoms and disorders in children may include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, behavioral issues, cognitive regression, attention deficits, academic de-cline, and learning difficulties. This study aims to contribute to the literature by examining the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical profiles, psychiatric diagnoses, and treatment approaches among pediatric patients affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of 164 children and adolescents who were diagnosed under ICD code X34 (victims of earthquake) and presented to Elazig Fethi Sekin City Hospital the child psychiatry outpatient clinic between February 2023 and February 2024.
Results: The most common presenting complaints were anxiety, school avoidance, and earthquake-related fears (31.1%). The most frequently identified psychiatric conditions were neurodevelopmental disorders (totaling 34.1%), including ADHD (17.6%), intellectual disability (7.3%), autism spectrum disorder (4.3%), and specific learning disorder (3.6%), as well as anxiety disorders (15.9%). Acute stress disorder, according to DSM-5, was diagnosed in 66% of the cases.
Conclusions: As expected, there was a high prevalence of neurodevelopmental and internalizing psy-chiatric disorders following the earthquakes. Prospective, long-term follow-up studies assessing the enduring impact of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on children and adolescents in Türkiye are war-ranted.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Destekleyen Kurum
No financial support.
Etik Beyan
The study was approved by FIRAT University Noninterventional Clinical Research Ethical Committee (Decision no: 2024/05-05, Date: 21.03.2024).
Teşekkür
We thank our patients and their families for their contributions.
Kaynakça
- 1. Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı [AFAD] (2023). 06 Şubat 2023 Pazarcık (Kahramanmaraş) Mw 7.7 Elbistan (Kah-ramanmaraş) Mw 7.6 Depremlerine İlişkin Ön Değerlendir-me Raporu (PDF). Erişim: 06.02.2023.
- 2. Koeri, (2023). 06 Şubat 2023 Sofalaca Şehitkâmil Gaziantep Depremi Basın Bülteni. B.Ü. Kandilli Rasathanesi ve Deprem Araştırma Enstitüsü Bölgesel Deprem-Tsunami İzleme ve Değerlendirme Merkezi, İstanbul.4.sayfa. Erişim:08.02.2023.
- 3. Edemen M, Bircan O, Okkay M, Yoldaş H, Tugrul R, Neci-moğlu Güzel M, et al. What is an earthquake? how does it occur? earthquakes in Turkey and what are their effects, suggestions for measures to be taken against earthquake. Int J Soc Humanit Sci Res. 2023;10(93):719–34.
- 4. Bal A, Jensen B. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptom clusters in Turkish child and adolescent trauma survivors. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007;16(7):449–57.
- 5. Aydoğdu F, Fofana A. Depremin küçük çocuklar üzerindeki etkileri ve müdahale programları. In International confer-ence on trends in advanced research 2023, MArch. (Vol. 1, pp. 20-25).
- 6. Celebi Oncu E, Metindogan Wise A. The effects of the 1999 Turkish earthquake on young children: Analyzing trauma-tized children’s completion of short stories. Child Dev. 2010;81(4):1161–75.
- 7. La Greca AM, Silverman WK. Treatment and prevention of posttraumatic stress reactions in children and adolescents exposed to disasters and terrorism: What is the evidence?. Child Development Perspectives. 2009; 3(1): 4-10.
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Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
Psikiyatri
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar
Erken Görünüm Tarihi
10 Haziran 2025
Yayımlanma Tarihi
27 Haziran 2025
Gönderilme Tarihi
25 Aralık 2024
Kabul Tarihi
4 Mayıs 2025
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2025 Cilt: 22 Sayı: 2
APA
Gülcü Üstün, N. S. (2025). An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, 22(2), 317-323. https://doi.org/10.35440/hutfd.1607458
AMA
1.Gülcü Üstün NS. An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025;22(2):317-323. doi:10.35440/hutfd.1607458
Chicago
Gülcü Üstün, Nur Seda. 2025. “An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes”. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi 22 (2): 317-23. https://doi.org/10.35440/hutfd.1607458.
EndNote
Gülcü Üstün NS (01 Haziran 2025) An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi 22 2 317–323.
IEEE
[1]N. S. Gülcü Üstün, “An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes”, Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, c. 22, sy 2, ss. 317–323, Haz. 2025, doi: 10.35440/hutfd.1607458.
ISNAD
Gülcü Üstün, Nur Seda. “An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes”. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi 22/2 (01 Haziran 2025): 317-323. https://doi.org/10.35440/hutfd.1607458.
JAMA
1.Gülcü Üstün NS. An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi. 2025;22:317–323.
MLA
Gülcü Üstün, Nur Seda. “An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes”. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, c. 22, sy 2, Haziran 2025, ss. 317-23, doi:10.35440/hutfd.1607458.
Vancouver
1.Nur Seda Gülcü Üstün. An Examination of the Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics if Cases Presenting to the Child Psychiatry Clinicaifter the Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi. 01 Haziran 2025;22(2):317-23. doi:10.35440/hutfd.1607458