Experiences of parents of individuals with intellectual disabilities after the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Türkiye: a phenomenological study

Abstract

Individuals with intellectual disabilities and their parents, who encounter many barriers in daily life, may experience even more serious problems when faced with a devastating disaster such as an earthquake. For effective earthquake preparation, it is important to identify these problems before the earthquake. However, studies examining the earthquake experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their parents are quite limited. In this context, the aim of the current study was to explore the experiences of parents of individuals with intellectual disabilities who were affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Türkiye. This study used the phenomenological qualitative research design. In this study, there were 16 parents, who have children with intellectual disabilities and participated in face-to-face interviews. Interview data were analyzed thematically. Two overarching themes were found: (1) low level of earthquake preparedness, and (2) inaccessible needs. The findings revealed that the majority of parents of individuals with intellectual disabilities made few preparations for the earthquake, could not access many of their needs during and after the earthquake, and could not find a special unit for individuals with disabilities to explain their problems.