The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Therapeutic Play-Based Intervention Programme (TOTEM), which was developed to reduce the negative psychosocial effects of the earthquake in children aged 4-6 years, and its effect on children's psychosocial well-being.
Earthquakes are among the most impressive geological processes and are defined as an unpredictable natural disaster due to their destructive effects on people and structures. In Turkey, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake occurred on 6 February 2023 at 04.17 local time, centred in Kahramanmaraş, and another 7.6-magnitude earthquake occurred about nine hours later. In addition, more than 1000 aftershocks were recorded in the region and these events further increased the scale of the disaster. Earthquakes have the potential to have profound and traumatic effects on people's psychological functioning. Children are particularly affected by these effects due to their vulnerability during natural disasters. Children who experience disasters may face various problems in physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development. Therapeutic play intervention is based on the belief that play is a universal language that allows children to easily express their feelings and thoughts. This approach is an effective strategy that helps the child to explore their problems, seek solutions, express their feelings and emotional regulation. It also promotes cognitive development, reduces anxiety and stress, and increases confidence. Providing appropriate support to children after a traumatic event such as an earthquake is critical for preventing future psychological problems. In this context, providing children with supportive approaches such as play therapy and conducting these methods by expert teams can contribute to children's well-being. Therapeutic games play an important role by providing a universal language for children to express their emotions and cope with stress.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
53
In this context, the pre-school teachers in the container area were contacted and the sessions were held every Wednesday-Thursday (8 sessions in total) for 5 weeks, taking into account their availability hours. Children were included in the programme in groups of 12. Before data collection, the necessary materials were provided and stored in an empty container. It was found appropriate to complete the trainings in kindergartens located in the container city (4). A total of 3 evaluations were carried out: a post-test immediately after the end of the programme and a retention test at the end of the first month.
Kocaeli University
Kocaeli, Izmit, Turkey (Türkiye)
Anxiety Scale in Preschool Children
The Anxiety Scale in Preschool Children (Spence et al., 2001) developed by Spence, Rapee, McDonald, Ingram (2001) was adapted into Turkish by Şahin (2020). While the original scale had 28 items measuring social anxiety, separation anxiety, fear of physical injury, general anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Şahin added 5 items related to post-traumatic stress disorder while adapting it to Turkish and validity and reliability studies were conducted with these items. The scale is a 5-point scale and each item is scored between 0 and 4. A total score can be obtained from the scale. A high score on the scale indicates that anxiety in preschool children is high, while a low score indicates that anxiety in preschool children is low. Within the scope of the reliability of the scale, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.93 (Şahin, 2020). For this study, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.91.
Time frame: A total of 3 evaluations will be made: before the programme starts, the post-test immediately after the end of the programme and the retention test at the end of the first month.
Psychosocial Status Assessment Scale for 3-6 Year Old Children (Parent Form)
Psychosocial Situation Rating Scale (PSRS) was developed by Güneş-Şan and Altay and is a measurement tool consisting of 31 items that measures Psychosocial Situation Rating based on parental report in children aged 3-6 years. For each item in the PSDD, there are 5-point Likert type options 0-'never', 1-'rarely', 2-'sometimes', 3-"often", 4-'always'. Based on the score given for each item, a minimum score of '0' and a maximum score of '124' can be obtained from the questionnaire. A low total score indicates that there is no risk for psychosocial problems in the child, while a high score indicates that there is a risk for psychosocial problems. Within the scope of the reliability of the scale, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.83 and test-retest reliability was calculated as 0.957 (Güneş-Şan \& Altay, 2021). For this study, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.88.
Time frame: A total of 3 evaluations will be made: before the programme starts, the post-test immediately after the end of the programme and the retention test at the end of the first month.
Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children
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The scale developed by Bruni et al. (1996) was adapted into Turkish and the validity and reliability study was conducted by Ağça-Bilmenoğlu (2019). The scale developed to investigate sleep disorders in children consists of 26 items and each question is scored between 1-5. The measurement tool includes questions measuring sleep initiation and maintenance problems, sleep breathing disorders, sleep-wake disorders, sleep-wake transition disorders, excessive sleepiness disorders and excessive sweating during sleep. The scores that can be obtained from the scale vary between 26 and 130, and high scores are interpreted as a high degree of sleep disorder. Within the scope of the reliability of the scale, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.84 and test-retest reliability as 0.79 (Ağça-Bilmenoğlu, 2019). For this study, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.85.
Time frame: A total of 3 evaluations will be made: before the programme starts, the post-test immediately after the end of the programme and the retention test at the end of the first month.