How the Earthquake Affected Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study According to Mothers' Views

Abstract

Earthquake, defined as a strong shaking of the earth due to tectonic forces or volcanic activities, is a natural disaster with the highest uncertainty rate among natural disasters (afad.gov.tr). Two major earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred in Turkey on February 6, 2023 and numerous aftershocks in the following days.

Earthquake is a natural event that can negatively affect all living things. Considering that children are one of the most vulnerable groups in natural disasters, it is thought that the vulnerability of children with autism spectrum disorder may become worse due to their developmental limitations. In this study, the answer to how children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early childhood were affected by the earthquake was sought. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with 10 mothers with children with ASD who experienced the February 6 earthquakes in Osmaniye Province. The research was designed as a qualitative case study. In the study, the “Mother Interview Form on the Effects of Earthquake on Children with ASD” and demographic information form were used as data collection tools. While creating the data collection tools, the relevant literature was reviewed. The prepared question items were presented to 4 experts and finalized. The research data were collected through face-to-face interviews of  25 minutes on average in the places where the participants resided in Osmaniye province. The interviews were audio recorded with the permission of the participants. The data obtained in the research were classified as codes and themes. The themes were finalized in accordance with the principle of consensus of the researchers.

Examining the results of the research, it is seen that the earthquake caused many negative conditions in children with ASD, such as fear, anxiety, sleep disturbances, feeding difficulties, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, introversion, and crying crises. Although some mothers reported that sibling relationships of children with ASD were negatively affected after the earthquake, two mothers reported that there was a positive development in sibling relationships after the earthquake. The mothers expressed their experiences and needs in the post-earthquake period. They explained various suggestions for major earthquakes that may occur in the future.