Trauma Levels After the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes in Türkiye

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the post-earthquake trauma levels of individuals who experienced the earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, in Türkiye. 2034 individuals who experienced the earthquake were reached through cross-sectional design and convenience sampling methods within the scope of this study. “Socio-demographic information form” and the “Post-Earthquake Trauma Level Determining Scale” were used as data collection tools. An Independent Sample T Test, One-Way ANOVA test and Pearson Correlation Analysis were performed through IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Results of the research reveal that the trauma levels of the participants are influenced by the following factors: being young, female, and single; low income level; having been diagnosed with a mental illness before the earthquake; being trapped under the rubble; injury and/or death of a family member; witnessing the collapse of buildings and witnessing someone being seriously injured; destruction or damage to the house; staying in temporary housing after the earthquake; losing a large amount of property/money; and, migrating to another city. Praying and seeking support from family and social networks were the most commonly used coping methods. The research results are anticipated to contribute to the utilization of trauma-related information in post-earthquake social services.