Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sleep Problems and Nutritional Status after the 7.8 and 7.5 Magnitude Earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors : Hatice Merve Bayram, Rozerin İpek, Beyza Nur Sancak, Müzeyyen Sedef Eroğlu

Pages : 29-37

Doi:10.26453/otjhs.1555533

View : 142 | Download : 107

Publication Date : 2025-03-17

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: This study aimed to evaluate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress, anxiety levels, sleep problems, and nutritional status among earthquake survivors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted nine months after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes with 201 adult earthquake survivors, including 87 men and 114 women, with a mean age of 29.46 ± 12.19 years. An online questionnaire including demographic characteristics, the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the PTSD Symptom-Self Report Scale (PSS-SR), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and food frequency questionnaire was performed. Participants self-reported their height and body weight before and after the earthquake. The scales were correlated and compared with gender. Results: According to the PSS-SR classification, 58.3% of participants had severe and 11.9% had extremely severe PTSD symptoms. Additionally, 51.2% experienced extremely severe anxiety, and 75.6% had insomnia. There was a moderate positive correlation between IES-R and stress (r: 0.634, p<0.001), anxiety (r: 0.589, p<0.001), depression (r: 0.610, p<0.001), ISI (r: 0.492, p<0.001), and PSS-SR (r: 0.696, p<0.001). Nutrient intake was adequate according to the RDA, but there were significant differences in body weight and body mass index before and after the earthquake (p<0.001). Conclusion: The earthquakes significantly affected survivors, leading to a high burden of psychiatric disorders. It is essential to strengthen public health services in this area.
Keywords : Beslenme durumu, depremler, stres bozuklukları, travma sonrası, uykusuzluk