Research Article

Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping

Number: 30 August 31, 2026
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Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the mediating role of religious coping in the effect of earthquake fear on death anxiety among nursing students affected by the 6 February earthquakes.

Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 465 nursing students affected by the 6 February Earthquake. Research data were collected online via email and social networking sites (WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.) between 2 October and 1 December 2023. Data were obtained using the "Participant Introduction Form", "Earthquake Fear Scale", "Death Anxiety Scale" and "Religious Coping Styles Scale". The mediating role of religious coping in the effect of earthquake fear on death anxiety was assessed using path analysis.

Results: It was observed that earthquake fear had a significant and positive effect on positive religious coping (β=0.126, p=0.006) and that earthquake fear significantly increased death anxiety (β=0.486, p<0.001). In contrast, the effect of earthquake fear on negative religious coping (β=0.087, p=0.059) and the effects of positive or negative religious coping on death anxiety (positive: β=0.000, p=0.995; negative: β=0.065, p=0.115) were not statistically significant.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence for the development of educational programmes aimed at enhancing students' psychological resilience in disaster situations by revealing the effects of earthquake fear on death anxiety and religious coping among nursing students. Furthermore, the findings guide the planning of clinical interventions that support nurses' coping strategies for traumatic experiences and the integration of psychosocial support and religious coping skills into educational curricula.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval is (31.08.2023/2023-16) was obtained from the Social Humanities Ethics Committee of Firat University.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Fundamentals of Nursing

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

August 31, 2026

Publication Date

August 31, 2026

Submission Date

July 1, 2025

Acceptance Date

July 29, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 30

APA
Çevik Aktura, S., Dertli, S., & Çankaya, A. (2026). Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences, 30, 578-597. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1732153
AMA
1.Çevik Aktura S, Dertli S, Çankaya A. Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping. IGUSABDER. 2026;(30):578-597. doi:10.38079/igusabder.1732153
Chicago
Çevik Aktura, Seher, Semiha Dertli, and Askeri Çankaya. 2026. “Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences, nos. 30: 578-97. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1732153.
EndNote
Çevik Aktura S, Dertli S, Çankaya A (August 1, 2026) Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences 30 578–597.
IEEE
[1]S. Çevik Aktura, S. Dertli, and A. Çankaya, “Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping”, IGUSABDER, no. 30, pp. 578–597, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.38079/igusabder.1732153.
ISNAD
Çevik Aktura, Seher - Dertli, Semiha - Çankaya, Askeri. “Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences. 30 (August 1, 2026): 578-597. https://doi.org/10.38079/igusabder.1732153.
JAMA
1.Çevik Aktura S, Dertli S, Çankaya A. Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping. IGUSABDER. 2026;:578–597.
MLA
Çevik Aktura, Seher, et al. “Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Health Sciences, no. 30, Aug. 2026, pp. 578-97, doi:10.38079/igusabder.1732153.
Vancouver
1.Seher Çevik Aktura, Semiha Dertli, Askeri Çankaya. Death Anxiety Among Nursing Students After the February 6 Türkiye Earthquake: The Role of Earthquake Fear and Religious Coping. IGUSABDER. 2026 Aug. 1;(30):578-97. doi:10.38079/igusabder.1732153

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