Child–Parent Relationship Therapy for Earthquake-Affected Preschoolers: A 1-Year Controlled Study Merve Nur Bozkurt Karali, Yasemin Özkan, Dilşad Foto Özdemir Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 2026 Objective This study examined the effectiveness of Child–Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) among earthquake‐affected preschool children and their mothers in Türkiye. Method Using a quasi‐experimental controlled design, participants were assigned to experimental ( n = 12), placebo ( n = 12), and control ( n = 12) groups. Parental empathy, parent–child relationship and children's posttraumatic emotional distress, affective and behavioural problems were assessed at pretest, posttest and 2‐, 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups. Results Mothers in the CPRT group showed significant improvements in empathy. Children's loneliness/sleep problems decreased short term, while emotional distress and impulsivity declined significantly at 1‐year follow‐up. However, fear/anxiety scores increased across all groups, and no significant group differences were found in emotional–behavioural problems or parent–child relationship scores. Conclusion CPRT emerged as an effective intervention in some aspects of children's posttrauma well‐being, yet ongoing environmental stressors and parents' psychological conditions limited the sustainability of therapeutic gains.
Exploring the association between post-traumatic stress levels of earthquake-affected mothers and children and the parent-child relationship Merve Nur Bozkurt Karalı, Yasemin Özkan International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2025 Background: On February 6, 2023, the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes affected 11 provinces in Turkey, causing catastrophic consequences for 16.4% of the nation’s population. Aims: This study aimed to explore the relationship between post-traumatic stress levels of mothers and children and the parent-child relationship one and a half years following the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Methods: The study included 186 mothers and their 284 children, aged 2 to 10 years, all of whom were affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. The mothers reported their own PTSD symptoms using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), assessed their children’s symptoms via the Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS), and completed the Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS). To analyze the data, Pearson correlation analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis were employed. Additionally, mediation analyses were conducted using the bootstrapping-based PROCESS macro (Model-4). Results: Our findings reveal that one and a half years after the earthquake, the mothers and their children remained at risk for post-traumatic stress. The results of our study indicate that maternal PTSD levels contribute to increased PED levels in children, both through the partial mediation effect of the negative parent-child relationship and through direct effects on children’s PED levels. Furthermore, the study reveals that maternal PTSD levels also contribute to a negative parent-child relationship through the full mediation effect of children’s PED level. Conclusion: These findings underscore the necessity for post-earthquake psychosocial interventions to adopt a comprehensive approach that addresses not only individual psychological symptoms but also actively engages both mothers and children in the therapeutic process. Specifically, interventions should aim to enhance the quality of the parent-child relationship and foster secure attachment, emotional communication, and co-regulation within the family system.
An Exploration of the Relationship Between Social Work Students’ Awareness of Environmental Ethics and Their Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Environmental Problems Yasemin Özkan, Ecem Naz Nazlıer, Fethi Anıl Mayda, Merve Nur Bozkurt Karalı Journal of Social Service Research, 2024 In a changing global environment, sustaining social work as a profession necessitates comprehensive education and heightened awareness of ecocentric perspectives and environmental ethics. Based on this information, the study aims to explore the relationship between social work students’ environmental ethics awareness and their attitudes and behaviors regarding environmental issues. The study was conducted utilizing the general and relational survey model, a quantitative research methodology; the data collection was performed with an interview form consisting of the Personal Information Form, Environmental Ethics Awareness Scale, Attitude Toward Environmental Problems Scale, and Behavior Toward Environmental Problems Scale. The study comprised 461 students selected from 10 different universities offering undergraduate social work education in Türkiye, employing the purposive sampling technique. The data collected from the participants was analyzed using SPSS software. The study findings reveal that the environmental ethics awareness and attitudes of social work students toward environmental problems positively impact their behaviors regarding environmental problems. In this context, heightened environmental ethics awareness and positive attitudes toward environmental problems among students correlate with increased engagement in actions addressing environmental issues. These findings emphasize the need for future studies to assess the effectiveness of environmental education curricula and conduct evidence-based quasi-experimental group interventions.
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Child–Parent Relationship Therapy for Earthquake‐Affected Preschoolers: A 1‐Year Controlled Study MN Bozkurt Karali, Y Özkan, D Foto Özdemir Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 33 (2), e70264 , 2026 2026
Exploring the association between post-traumatic stress levels of earthquake-affected mothers and children and the parent-child relationship MN Bozkurt Karalı, Y Özkan International Journal of Social Psychiatry 71 (8), 1587-1597 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
An exploration of the relationship between social work students’ awareness of environmental ethics and their attitudes and behaviors toward environmental problems Y Özkan, EN Nazlıer, FA Mayda, MN Bozkurt Karalı Journal of Social Service Research 50 (4), 684-696 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Danışman Öz-Yeterlik Ölçeği: Türkçeye Uyarlama Çalışması. MN BOZKURT KARALI, Y ÖZKAN Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Health Sciences/Türkiye Klinikleri Sağlık … , 2020 2020
Aile danışmanlarının danışmanlık süreçleri, becerileri, karşılaştıkları sorunlar ve özyeterlilik düzeylerinin belirlenmesi MN Bozkurt-Karalı Yüksek Lisans Tezi). Sosyal Hizmet Bölümü, Açık Erişim, Hacettepe Üniversitesi , 2019 2019 Citations: 3
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
An exploration of the relationship between social work students’ awareness of environmental ethics and their attitudes and behaviors toward environmental problems Y Özkan, EN Nazlıer, FA Mayda, MN Bozkurt Karalı Journal of Social Service Research 50 (4), 684-696 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Aile danışmanlarının danışmanlık süreçleri, becerileri, karşılaştıkları sorunlar ve özyeterlilik düzeylerinin belirlenmesi MN Bozkurt-Karalı Yüksek Lisans Tezi). Sosyal Hizmet Bölümü, Açık Erişim, Hacettepe Üniversitesi , 2019 2019 Citations: 3
Exploring the association between post-traumatic stress levels of earthquake-affected mothers and children and the parent-child relationship MN Bozkurt Karalı, Y Özkan International Journal of Social Psychiatry 71 (8), 1587-1597 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Child–Parent Relationship Therapy for Earthquake‐Affected Preschoolers: A 1‐Year Controlled Study MN Bozkurt Karali, Y Özkan, D Foto Özdemir Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 33 (2), e70264 , 2026 2026
Danışman Öz-Yeterlik Ölçeği: Türkçeye Uyarlama Çalışması. MN BOZKURT KARALI, Y ÖZKAN Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Health Sciences/Türkiye Klinikleri Sağlık … , 2020 2020
