The Effect of Exercise on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Sleep Quality in Individuals Affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

April 24, 2024 updated by: Bahar Anaforoglu, Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

The Effect of Exercise Interventions on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Sleep Quality in Young Individuals Directly Affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes in Türkiye: A Randomized Controlled Double-Blind Study

Natural disasters can have adverse impacts on both physical and mental health. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep disorders are among the most common problems seen after natural disasters. Exercise may represent a safe, cost-effective, accessible, non-pharmacological method for treating PTSD and sleep problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise interventions on PTSD and sleep quality in young individuals affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Türkiye.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

38

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

      • Ankara, Turkey
        • Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age 18-30
  • being directly affected by the earthquake in Mardin
  • providing voluntary consent to participating in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • involvement in an existing active regular exercise program
  • the presence a physical problem capable of preventing exercise
  • the presence of severe psychiatric disorders or cognitive and/or perceptual problems
  • regular use of sedative or neuropsychiatric drugs
  • active alcohol or drug addiction
  • missing assessment parameters
  • failure to participate in the intervention programs, or not continuing wıth the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exercise
Exercise group did aerobic exercise during 6 weeks. Also this group took advice including lifestyle.
Members of the exercise group received an exercise intervention twice a week for six weeks accompanied by a physiotherapist.
Other Names:
  • lifestyle advice
At the beginning of the program, the members of the individuals were given lifestyle recommendations, both verbally and in writing (in the form of a brochure) within the scope of a common training initiative.The individuals groups received both written (brochure) and verbal training within the scope of lifestyle recommendations (the effects of planned and regular exercise, sleep problems, methods of coping with stress, etc.).
Experimental: control
Control group only took advice including lifestyle.
At the beginning of the program, the members of the individuals were given lifestyle recommendations, both verbally and in writing (in the form of a brochure) within the scope of a common training initiative.The individuals groups received both written (brochure) and verbal training within the scope of lifestyle recommendations (the effects of planned and regular exercise, sleep problems, methods of coping with stress, etc.).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Short Scale
Time Frame: 6 weeks
This self-report Likert-type scale was developed by LeBeau et al. in order to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms. The scale consists of nine questions and a single dimension. Each question is scored between 0 for "Not at all" and 4 for "Extremely". Total possible scores range between 0 and 36. The higher the total score, the higher the level of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder . The cut-off value of the scale was calculated as 24
6 weeks
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Time Frame: 6 weeks
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index consists of 24 questions and seven categories that yield information about the type and severity of sleep disturbance experienced in the past month. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index includes questions assessing sleep quality, transition time, duration, efficiency, disturbance, sleep medication use, and daytime dysfunction due to sleep problems. Each item is scored from 0 (no distress at all) to 3 (severe distress). Total possible scores range from 0 to 21. A higher score means poorer sleep quality. A total score of 0-5 is regarded as indicating healthy sleep, 6-10 as poor sleep, and above 10 as long-term sleep disturbance.
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: bahar külünkoğlu, assoc. prof., Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 15, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

July 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 22, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 24, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

April 29, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 29, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 24, 2024

Last Verified

April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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