Emotional indicators and anxiety levels of immigrant children who have been exposed to warfare.

Problem: Little is known about the emotional reactions of children who have migrated to another country fleeing a war in their home.

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to compare the emotional indicators and anxiety levels of Syrian children who have migrated to Turkey following the war with anxiety levels of Turkish children.

Methods: The study has been completed with 125 children who migrated from Syria and 168 children who are living in Turkey. The demographic data form, the Spielberger state and trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and Koppitz Draw-A-Person test were used for data collection.

Findings: The average ages of Syrian and Turkish children who participated in the study are 9.14 ± 1.11; 8.89 ± 0.76, respectively. Emotional indicators such as impulsivity, anxiety, and anger appear more frequently in Syrian children's drawings compared to the drawings of Turkish children. State anxiety scores were 47.44 ± 8.09 in Syrian children and 32.16 ± 10.46 in Turkish children. Trait anxiety scores were 49.08 ± 7.98 in Syrian children and 39.76 ± 8.58 in Turkish children. The STAI score of Syrian children was higher compared to the score of Turkish children.

Conclusions: Anxiety scores of children who have migrated are significantly higher than those of children residing in their country of origin. The physical and psychological evaluation of children who have witnessed warfare and have migrated is an important nursing initiative.