AimThe aim of this investigation was to determine the frequency of mental pathologies in children and adolescents of the Yazidi minority group who immigrated to Turkey from Iraq. The refugees were asked about preventive and risk factors that occurred before and after their immigration.Subjects and methodsThe sample comprised 55 children and adolescents (30 males and 25 females) who were Yazidi refugees and had settled in the Uçkuyular, Oğuz, Onbaşı, and Uğurca villages of Batman, Turkey. The study was conducted 9 months after the refugees had immigrated. The participants were evaluated in their native language through a semistructured interview titled “Reliability and Validity of Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children – Present and Lifetime Version – Turkish Version”. A sociodemographic form was prepared so that investigators could understand their traumatic experiences before and after the migration and their current social conditions. All the interviews were conducted in the participants’ native language without the help of translators. The investigators filled out the sociodemographic forms.ResultsPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was detected in 20 children (36.4%), depression in 18 (32.7%), nocturnal enuresis in six (10.9%), and anxiety in four (7.3%). The following factors were found to be associated with depression: witnessing violence and/or death, being a girl, having older parents, being the elder child, and having multiple siblings (P<0.05). Risk factors for PTSD, depression, and comorbid conditions included witnessing violence and/or death (P<0.05). Four participants were observed to have both PTSD and depression (7.3%).ConclusionMost of the refugee children had experienced serious traumatic events in their home country. PTSD, depression, and comorbid mental problems are frequently seen in refugee children.

Objective: The shortage of cross-culturally validated instruments limits the study and treatment of psychopathology in countries other than English-speaking ones. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale -Child Version (RCADS-CV) is a self-report questionnaire that assesses dimensions of DSM anxiety and depressive disorders in youths. In this present study, we aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the RCADS-CV in a clinical sample of children in Turkey. Method: The participants were 483 children aged 8-17 years old. Subjects were recruited from the following centers: Bezmialem University Hospital (55.7%), Kütahya Regional Hospital (17.4%), Istanbul Medical Faculty Hospital of the Istanbul University (16.7%), and Sakarya University Hospital (12.2%). A semi-structured diagnostic interview was carried out and the following measures were used: Children's Depression Inventory, Screen for Child AnxietyRelated Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: Inter-scale reliability was strong/excellent with a Cronbach's α of .95 and coefficients for the RCADS-CV subscales ranging from .75 to .86, demonstrating good internal consistency. Convergent and discriminant validity tests against both a semi-structured clinical interview and self-report measures suggested favorable properties. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original six-factor model. RCADS-CV showed greater correspondence to specific diagnoses in comparative tests with the existing measures of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Overall, the study provides satisfactory evidence that the Turkish RCADS-CV yields valid scores for clinical purposes among Turkish children. ARTICLE HISTORY

Objective: To examine the mental health states of a sample of Yazidi refugee children and adolescents who migrated from war-torn Iraq's Sinjar region and to determine the risk and protective factors for psychiatric disorders among the refugee children and adolescents. Method: The participants of this research were children and adolescents between ages 6 and 17 who live in a refugee camp in Turkey. Their parents/guardians provided written informed consents for the research. The research was approved by the Ethics Council of Sakarya University. Participants with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders were excluded from the study. Two child and adolescent psychiatrists speaking their native language interviewed and evaluated each of the participants. Collected data included sociodemographic information about previous and current living situations, Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime -Turkish Version (K-SADS-PL). Results: One hundred and thirty-six children and adolescents (76 boys, 63 girls; mean age = 11.05 ± 3.11 (SD)). At the time of the assessment, 43.4% had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n = 59), 27.9% depression (n = 38), 10.3% nocturnal enuresis (n = 14), 9.6% behavioural problems (n = 7), and 5.1% anxiety disorders (n = 13). Conclusions: Many of the refugee children and adolescents had developed psychiatric disorders, or are at risk for PTSD and depression. Also, the ongoing ambiguity regarding their living conditions, interruption of their education, a lack of hope for the future and anxiety regarding the ones they left behind are considered to be risk factors for the development of psychiatric and social problems in the future. Living with family members and not having losses from the immediate family are protective factors. ARTICLE HISTORY

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The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Parent version (RCADS-P) is a self-report questionnaire that assesses dimensions of DSM-based anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Turkish version in a clinical sample of 483 children and adolescents. The child and parent versions of the RCADS, parent versions of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-Depression Scale were administered. Current psychiatric diagnoses were assessed via the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Present Version. The RCADS-P demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and good convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the DSM-related six-factor structure. With its demonstrated favorable psychometric properties, the Turkish RCADS-P is currently the only validated parent-report instrument that assesses DSM-based anxiety and depressive disorders in children and adolescents in Turkey.

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Background: Turkey is the leading refugee-hosting country in the world. However, there are few studies which investigate mental wellbeing of refugee children in Turkey. Objective: The paper aims to examine the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems and associated risk factors among Syrian refugee minors in Turkey. Methods: The research involved 85 students from 2 th to 8 th grades. We investigated emotional and behavioural problems with parent-reported Arabic form of Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Socio-demographical findings and children's war-related experiences were also examined. Results: The study sample consisted of 49 (63.6%) girls, and 28 (36.4%) boys (total 77) from age 7 to 17. Average time after resettlement was 29.8 ± 11.2 (5 to 50 months) months. 66 (85.7%) children reported to had lost at least one familiar person due to the war. The mean experienced war-related traumatic events were calculated as 2.92 ± 1.86. Total difficulty scores of 30 (39.0%) children were above the cut off values. The rates of children whose SDQ problem scores exceeded the cutoff values were as high as 45.5% (35) for Emotional problems, 64.9% (50) for Peer, 27.3% (21) for conduct and 19.5% (15) for Hyperactivity problems. Discussion: Results indicate high prevalence rates of severe traumatic experiences and possible psychiatric disorders among child survivors of Syrian war which in its seventh year now.

ÖZETKişilik, bireyi başkalarından ayıran doğuştan getirdiği ve sonradan kazanılan özelliklerin bütünüdür. Kişilik, bireyin zihinsel, duygusal, sosyal ve fiziksel özelliklerinin süreklilik gösteren yönlerini içerir. Kişiliğin gelişim sürecini açıklamak için çok sayıda kuram geliştirilmiştir. Her bir gelişim kuramı, insan gelişiminin özellikle bir alanını odak noktası olarak kabul ederek bu gelişimi genel olarak diğer alanlarla da bütünleşecek biçimde ortaya koymuş-lardır. Kişilik ile ilgili birçok kuramın birleştiği görüşlerden biri yaşam süre-cinde çocukluğun, özellikle ilk 5-6. yılın, kişiliğe olan etkisinin büyük olduğudur. Doğuştan gelen genetik özellikler ve çevresel faktörlerin etkileşimi uzun bir büyüme-gelişme sürecinde kendine özgü bir kişilik ortaya çıkarmak-tadır. Temel ihtiyaçlarını toplumla çatışma haline düşmeden karşılayabilen insanların psikolojik bakımdan sağlıklı kimseler olduğu söylenebilir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Kişilik, gelişim, kuramlar ABSTRACTPersonality is the integration of characteristics acquired or brought by birth which separate the individual from others. Personality involves aspects of the individual's mental, emotional, social, and physical features in continuum. Several theories were suggested to explain developmental processes of personality. Each theory concentrates on one feature of human development as the focal point, then integrates with other areas of development in general. Most theories assume that childhood, especially up to 5-6 years, has essential influence on development of personality. The interaction between genetic and environmental factors reveals a unique personality along growth and developmental process. It could be said that individual who does not have any conflict between his/her basic needs and society's, has well-developed and psychologically healthy personality.