Sleep Quality in Healthcare Professionals After Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

Authors : Ülker Atılan Fedai, Sıdıka Baziki Çetin, Abdelrahman Abouelsoud, Mehmet Sinan Çoban
Pages : 57-67
Doi:10.18863/pgy.1627843
View : 328 | Download : 424
Publication Date : 2025-12-16
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :Objective: On 6 February 2023, a catastrophic and lethal earthquake centred in Kahramanmaraş occurred with unprecedented intensity. The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between post-traumatic symptoms, psychological symptoms and sleep quality in healthcare professionals following the earthquake. Method: In the present study, which was designed as a cross-sectional investigation, 100 healthcare professionals who had been exposed to the Kahramanmaraş earthquake and who were employed at Harran University Hospital since the second week following the earthquake were included in the study. The participants were requested to complete the Event Impact Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale and the Symptom Checklist-90. Results: The present study comprised 52 (52%) female and 48 (48%) male participants, with a mean age of 30.2 ± 6.8 years. Statistically significant differences in total sleep quality scores were found to be associated with the presence of a damaged house, a history of medical illness, unhappiness, nightmares, and insomnia. The event impact scale total score (β=.39, p<.001) significantly predicted total sleep quality, as indicated by path analyses. A detailed evaluation of the event impact scale and symptom checklist-90 was conducted according to the subheadings of the scales. The results revealed a significant association between depression symptoms (β=.28, p<.001) and re-experiencing score (β=.26, p=. 002), hyperarousal score (β=.23, p=0.003) and having a history of medical illness (β=.23, p=0.005) were found to significantly predict the total sleep quality score. Conclusion: Psychological symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and sleep quality were revealed to be negatively associated in our study. It is critical to warn and advise healthcare professionals, particularly those who have been exposed to secondary traumas, about mental symptoms and sleep disturbances.
Keywords : deprem, sağlık çalışanları, travma sonrası stres belirtileri, uyku kalitesi

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