The Effects of the 1999 Turkish Earthquake on Young Children: Analyzing Traumatized Children's Completion of Short Stories


Celebi Oncu E., Wise A. M.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT, vol.81, pp.1161-1175, 2010 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 81
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Doi Number: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01460.x
  • Journal Name: CHILD DEVELOPMENT
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.1161-1175
  • Kocaeli University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether projective techniques could identify long-term consequences among children stemming from exposure to a traumatic event. The first group of children (n = 53; 26 female, 27 male) experienced 2 major earthquakes at age 7, 3 months apart, in Turkey, while a similarly matched control group (n = 50; 25 female, 25 male) did not. Both groups of children (current age: 9) completed a series of short stories related to disastrous events. Results indicated that the traumatized group evinced a range of trauma-related symptoms 2 years after experiencing the earthquakes.