Earthquakes are one of the unpredictable disasters that pose the greatest threat to the physical, mental, and social welfare of individuals in society. Children constitute one of the most vulnerable groups against the destructive effects of earthquakes, especially due to their high sensitivity to trauma. This study was conducted to evaluate the anxiety levels of 4-6 year old children affected by earthquakes and the factors affecting these levels. This methodological, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with mothers of children aged 4-6 years (n=268). Data were collected with the descriptive information form and the preschool anxiety scale. The mean age of the mothers who participated in the study was 32.05±5.99 years and the mean age of their children was 5.03±0.70 years. The mean total score of the scale was 44.69±22.33 and the anxiety levels of the children were found to be below the average. In the study, it was observed that six-year-old children had higher anxiety levels than four-year-old children and girls had higher anxiety levels than boys. In addition, it was found that the anxiety scores of children whose nuclear family members were buried under the earthquake, who were disabled, one of the relatives died, who had bad dreams/nightmares, and who experienced anxiety and distress when they remembered the earthquake were statistically significantly higher (p
Key words: Earthquake, children, anxiety, nursing care
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