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The authors describe their study of posttraumatic stress symptoms of children and adolescents after the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey. The rate of possible PTSD cases is also presented. The findings are reported as the results of two different studies. Location had a main effect on almost all of the dependent variables for both samples. The posttraumatic stress symptom scores for both groups significantly decreased 3 months after the initial assessment. The best predictors of the perceived posttraumatic stress symptoms for both children and adolescents were found to be perceived negative school performance and exposure.

Education about the psychological reactions in the aftermath of a traumatic event may help reduce the adverse effects by providing a cognitive framework for one's experience, and provides the survivors of trauma view their reactions as expectable; recognize the circumstances under which they should consider seeking further counseling; increase use of adaptive ways of coping; increase ability to help family members cope. This type of psychosocial intervention was used to reach the parents and children in the earthquake affected region after the Marmara earthquakes. The major aim of the present study is to make an assessment of the impact of these interventions. The assessment procedure consists of a satisfaction survey of the parents and children who attended the seminars. A comparison is also made between those who attended the seminars and those who did not, in terms of their opinions on issues regarding the psychological effects of the earthquakes. This report represents the data from a total of 463 parents and 774 students. In the parents group, 326 were in the comparison group and 137 were in the study group. Among the students, 181 were in the comparison group and 593 in the study group. Two questionnaires were used to collect data from the participants in the study. One questionnaire was for children over 12 years of age, and the other was for the parents. The results in general showed that, the seminars were helpful for parents and children to learn about the psychological reactions people have after earthquakes. However, they also showed that, to be more effective, there is a need for improvement in the way the seminars are conducted.

Background There is overwhelming evidence for a strong association between childhood trauma and adult psychopathology. This study aimed to investigate the mediation roles of alexithymia, sensory processing sensitivity, and emotional-mental processes in the relationship between childhood traumas and adult psychopathology. Methods The sample consisted of 337 people (78.9% female, 21.1% male) aged between 20 and 64 years. Participants filled the scales online via a Google form. Reading Mind in the Eyes (EYES), Sensory Processing Sensitivity Scale (SPS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were used. PROCESS (Model 4) macro was used to examine the mediating role of sensory processing sensitivity, alexithymia, and the EYES test results in the relationship between childhood trauma and psychopathology. Results The results of mediation analysis demonstrated that sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and adult psychopathology. However, the EYES test (mentalization) did not mediate in this relationship. Conclusion This study shows that childhood traumas may relate to more psychological symptoms in individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia. Our study may contribute to the understanding of what may lead to a person’s vulnerability to experiencing psychological symptoms after childhood trauma. It may be crucial that future treatment and intervention programs should include sensory sensitivity and alexithymia. Sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia can be examined in the treatment of psychological problems of individuals who have experienced childhood trauma.

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