Frequency of depressive symptoms in health workers’ children

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the frequency of depressive signs and the sociodemographic features among the children of health workers who work under harsh conditions and immense stress. Methods: The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in the Province of Batman, Turkey, between June 15 and July 17, 2014. The study included 106 health workers who had children aged 6-17 years and volunteered to complete the questionnaire. The participants filled out the sociodemographic data form alone and completed the depression scale for children (DSC) together with their children. Data was evaluated statistically. Results: All but one child had a score of >19 on the DSC (99.1%). No correlation was found between the scores of the children and the department of their parents (r=0.050, p=0.621) and shiftwork (r=0.178, p=0.071), history of depression in their parents (r=0.100, p=0.315), number of siblings in the family (r=0.001, p=0.994), and the presence of chronic diseases in the children (r=0.138, p=0.162). The scores were higher in the children of female health workers compared to those of male health workers (p=0.027). Conclusion: High CDS scores in the children of health workers is a critical issue and the reason for this occurrence may be multifactorial. Further surveys should be conducted to define the measures to be taken.