Relationship between post-traumatic stress reactions and anxiety sensitivity in children with earthquake experience: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Children are among the groups most adversely affected by earthquakes, especially those in school and adolescents have a higher awareness of traumatic events. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between post-traumatic stress reactions and anxiety sensitivity levels in children who experienced earthquakes. METHODS: The study is descriptive and correlational cross-sectional design. The study was conducted with 292 children aged 8–15 who experienced the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic Information Form, Post-Traumatic Stress Response Scale for Children, and Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CAS). Data were reported using numbers, percentages, means, standard values, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression tests. RESULTS: The mean age of the children was 12.35 ± 2.21, and 54.5% were female. The children scored 42.89 ± 16.72 on the post-traumatic stress response scale and 36.48 ± 7.95 on the anxiety sensitivity index. The study found a positive significant relationship between post-traumatic stress reactions and anxiety sensitivity of children who experienced an earthquake (p