Dissociative Symptoms and Sleep Problems in Children and Adolescents Who Lost Their Close Relatives in the Kahramanmaras Earthquake in Turkiye

Earthquakes are strong and unpredictable traumatic events that significantly affect people and the environment. The two major earthquakes in Turkiye on February 6, 2023, affected 11 cities and caused many injuries and deaths. This study investigates dissociative symptoms and sleep problems in children and adolescents who lost their close relatives in these earthquakes. The study sample consisted of children and adolescents affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake and applied to the Child and Adolescents Psychiatry Department of Adana City Research and Training Hospital, Adana, Turkiye. The study included 72 children and adolescents in the patient group and 68 in the control group, aged between 10 and 17 years. The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) was used to assess dissociative symptoms, while the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was used to determine sleep difficulties. An experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist thoroughly examined all the children. All dimensions of A-DES were significantly higher in children and adolescents affected by the earthquake. The patient group showed higher total CSHQ score and subscores (sleep onset delay, sleep anxiety, night wakings, and parasomnias). The total CSHQ score and subscores (night wakings and parasomnias) were positively correlated with the A-DES total score among children and adolescent victims. Regression analysis showed that hospitalization and CSHQ total score had positive relationships with the A-DES total score. Sleep disorders and dissociation can be seen in children and adolescents after natural disasters. Dissociative symptoms may be positively linked with hospitalization and sleep problems.