Emotional indicators and anxiety levels of immigrant children who have been exposed to warfare

ÇELİK R., ALTAY N., Yurttutan S., KILIÇARSLAN TÖRÜNER E.

JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, cilt.32, sa.2, ss.51-60, 2019 (ESCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 32 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2019
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1111/jcap.12233
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.51-60
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: anxiety, children emotional indicators, migration, nurse, warfare, WAR-AFFECTED CHILDREN, POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS, ADOLESCENTS, DEPRESSION, PATHWAYS, DISORDER, VIOLENCE, PEOPLE, TRAUMA
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Problem Little is known about the emotional reactions of children who have migrated to another country fleeing a war in their home. Purpose This descriptive study was conducted to compare the emotional indicators and anxiety levels of Syrian children who have migrated to Turkey following the war with anxiety levels of Turkish children. Methods The study has been completed with 125 children who migrated from Syria and 168 children who are living in Turkey. The demographic data form, the Spielberger state and trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and Koppitz Draw-A-Person test were used for data collection. Findings The average ages of Syrian and Turkish children who participated in the study are 9.14 +/- 1.11; 8.89 +/- 0.76, respectively. Emotional indicators such as impulsivity, anxiety, and anger appear more frequently in Syrian children's drawings compared to the drawings of Turkish children. State anxiety scores were 47.44 +/- 8.09 in Syrian children and 32.16 +/- 10.46 in Turkish children. Trait anxiety scores were 49.08 +/- 7.98 in Syrian children and 39.76 +/- 8.58 in Turkish children. The STAI score of Syrian children was higher compared to the score of Turkish children. Conclusions Anxiety scores of children who have migrated are significantly higher than those of children residing in their country of origin. The physical and psychological evaluation of children who have witnessed warfare and have migrated is an important nursing initiative.