Assessment of PTSD and CPTSD Symptoms in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Earthquakes: An Evaluation Using Latent Profile


ÇİMEN F., SEÇER İ., Pakis A. k.

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHOTHERAPY, cilt.32, sa.6, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 32 Sayı: 6
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1002/cpp.70168
  • Dergi Adı: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHOTHERAPY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
  • Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study aims to identify the profiles of post-traumatic symptoms observed in children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 who were traumatised by experiencing the February 6 earthquakes, which are referred to as the disaster of the century in T & uuml;rkiye and were centred in Kahramanmara & scedil;, and to reveal the extent to which these identified profiles differ in terms of post-traumatic cognitions, trauma-related safety behaviour, depression, anxiety and well-being. In this context, data were collected from 282 children and adolescents residing in the earthquake-affected areas and analysed using latent profile analysis to determine the structure of post-traumatic symptoms. The analyses revealed five profiles: CPTSD, Avoidance, Disturbance in Self-Organization, Mild CPTSD and a low symptoms class. It was observed that the CPTSD profile displayed the highest levels of trauma symptoms, post-traumatic cognitions and depression compared to the other groups. In contrast, the low symptoms profile demonstrated the lowest levels of trauma-related difficulties. No significant differences were observed across profiles in terms of anxiety, safety behaviours or well-being, and no gender differences emerged between groups. These findings indicate that post-traumatic symptom structures in children and adolescents are heterogeneous, with post-traumatic cognitions and depression particularly elevated among those in the CPTSD profile.