Psychiatric Evaluation of Children and Adolescents Affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: There are a limited number of studies examining the effects of trauma on children and adolescents after the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Turkey. The aim of this study is to investigate hospital records of pediatric patients directly affected by the earthquake among children admitted to child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic. Method: Between February and July 2023, medical records of 95 patients aged 0-18 years who applied to child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic were examined. Sociodemographic characteristics, current psychiatric diagnoses, and treatment histories of the patients were assessed from their archive files. Results: The mean age of 95 cases was 9.21±4.44 years (F: 51.6%). The most common indications for admissions were general counseling and sleep problems while 45.3% of the cases showed a grief reaction. The most frequent psychiatric diagnosis was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (23.1%). Cases received the diagnosis of acute stress disorder (16.8%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (13.6%). After the disaster, 25.4% of the affected children were not attending school. Parents of 92.6% of cases were psychologically affected by the trauma. The group of children under 6 years of age most frequently received family counseling. Conclusion: A high rate of parental impact from the disaster highlights the importance of psychosocial interventions that target both the children and their caregivers, as well as maintaining the child’s integration in the school system as a guide for crisis management planning. The high application rates of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders to health care organizations after a disaster highlight the need to consider carrying out interventions tailored to the needs of earthquake victims.