Mental health problems and risk factors of refugee children exposed to the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey

Abstract

Background

Thousands of refugee children who survived the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey are at risk of developing psychiatric disorders.

Aim

Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the mental health problems of refugee survivors in an early period after the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and to examine the risk factors they face.

Results

A total of 72 Syrian refugee survivors (2–17 years old, 10.50 ± 3.96 years, 41.7 % female) participated in this study. Fifty-six (77.8 %) patients were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder, while 16 (22.2 %) children did not meet the diagnostic criteria for any psychiatric disorder. Twenty-five (44.6 %) patients were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, 14 (25 %) patients with acute stress disorder, 17 (30.3 %) patients with adjustment disorder. Risk factors were grouped by the researchers as pre-quake, peri-quake and post-quake. Mental complaints and psychiatric diagnoses were significantly higher in girls (χ² = 4.445, p = 0.032). A positive significant correlation was found between pre-earthquake risk factors and psychiatric diagnoses (r = 0.242, p = 0.041). The total number of pre-earthquake risk factors predicted the number of psychiatric complaints by linear regression analysis (β = 0.407, t = 2484, adjusted R² = 0.164; p = 0.016). With increasing age, pre-earthquake risk factors increased (r = 0.448, p = 0.001). As resettlement time increased, the disease severity score also increased (r = 0.377, p = 0.005).

Conclusions

Efforts are needed to support earthquake-affected refugee children, especially those with pre-existing risk factors.