Sleep deprivation in children after natural disasters, social media addiction and associated factors

Natural disasters are unpredictable events that cause significant loss of life and property.Every year,various natural disasters occur worldwide and in Turkey, impacting societies broadly.Children, being among the most vulnerable and sensitive individuals affected by these disasters,experience direct or indirect exposure annually,leading to diverse impacts on their lives. This study aims to examine the effects of direct or indirect exposure to natural disasters on children's sleep deprivation and social media addiction. To achieve this, various sociodemographic characteristics of children were assessed, including their ages,daily sleep durations, pre-sleep activities,knowledge about disasters, participation in disaster education and drills at school, and awareness of emergency preparedness. The relationships between these factors and children's sleep deprivation and social media addiction were investigated. The research was conducted from September 11, 2023, to December 11, 2023, with 369 students from two public schools in the Karesi district of Balıkesir. Data were collected using a "Questionnaire," the "Sleep Deprivation Scale for Children and Adolescents," and the "Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents" through face to-face interviews facilitated by class guidance teachers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and linear regression analysis. The average age of the participants was 14.16 ± 1.99 years. The mean score on the Sleep Deprivation Scale for Children and Adolescents was 32.81 ± 10.67, while the mean score on the Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents was 18.28 ± 7.87. Linear regression analysis revealed that sleep deprivation scores significantly increased with age (β: 1.432; 95% CI 0.871, 1.993), later bedtimes (β: 1.810; 95% CI 0.522, 3.097), longer sleep onset times (β: 3.371; 95% CI 1.457, 5.284), ownership of a personal social media account (β: 2.264; 95% CI 0.750, 3.777), and use of social media to obtain information about natural disasters (β: 2.301; 95% CI 0.182, 4.420) (Adjusted R²= 0.349, F= 20.593, p< 0.001). Social media addiction scores were significantly higher among those with later bedtimes(β:1.440; 95% CI 0.477, 2.402), longer sleep onset times(β:2.389; 95% CI 1.044, 3.734), pre-sleep social media use (β:1.810; 95% CI 0.942, 2.679), and ownership of a personal social media account (β:1.908; 95% CI 0.724, 3.092) (Adjusted R²= 0.165; F= 9.946; p< 0.001). A positive and significant relationship between sleep deprivation and social media addiction was also found.The study suggests that disaster planning should consider developmental stages to better understand the effects of natural disasters on children's sleep health and social media use. Key words: Child health, natural disasters, sleep deprivation, social media.