The Children’s Degree of Symptom Related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study From Turkey

Authors : Fatma Kurudirek, Türkan Kadiroğlu, Esen Yıldırım Demirdöğen, Zülbiye Demir Barbak

Pages : 80-95

View : 18 | Download : 18

Publication Date : 2025-04-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study was conducted to determine post-traumatic stress levels in children and factors affecting them during the COVID-19 pandemic process.This descriptive and correlational research was conducted online between January and February 2021. The research population was picked from 8-13 age groups of children living in Turkey. The sample was out of 854 participants in 8-13 age intervals who voluntarily participate in this research by their parents’ consent or personal will. The data collection, “Personal Information Form” and “Child Post-traumatic Stress Reaction Index” were used. Descriptive statistics, Independent Samples t-test, Mann Whitney U, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis H test were conducted. Ethics principles were followed in the research.Among the children participants, 59.0% reported that they could not play adequately during the pandemic,and 45.0% also mentioned that they spent their time reading and studying.Other than that, 81.7% of participants stated they were afraid of getting infected with the virus.Lastly, 93.6% of participants confirmed that they were unhappy for leaving the school and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.The mean scores gathered from Child Post-traumatic Stress Reaction Index were 35.26±13.65.It was detected that 24.6% of children indicated mild, 38.9% moderate, 30.4% severe, and 6.1% showed very severe traumatic stress symptoms. Furthermore, Post-traumatic Stress Reaction level were statistically significant (p<0.05).The findings suggested that most children aged 8-13 living in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms. In this context, the study recommends that nursing practices should be developed considering that children may have mental health problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords : kovit -19, çocuk, post travmatik stres, pandemi, semtomlar