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EN
Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake
Abstract
Aim: The recent upsurge in the occurrence of disasters in Turkey makes it necessary to analyse how disasters change daily and social life and to understand the skills and needs of coping with fear, anxiety, and worry that they bring about in society, along with their physical and economic losses. This study aims to understand the fear and anxiety levels of individuals after the earthquakes which occurred in Kahramanmaraş on February 6 and affected eleven provinces, their impacts on daily life practices, and their ideas within the Anxiety Levels Specific to COVID-19” conducted in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: This study's data, collected online from 694 individuals over 18 across 7 regions, aims to explain the fear, anxiety levels, changes in daily practices, and perceptions of institutions among those indirectly exposed after the February 6 earthquakes, within the framework of crime fear theories.
Results: The findings are compared with data from a post-Covid-19 study for analysis. The findings suggest that the February 6 earthquake intensified societal fear and anxiety; while COVID-19 related fear and anxiety can be managed with individual and institutional measures, fear and anxiety related to earthquakes have become a societal issue that cannot be addressed individually.
Conclusion: The February 6 earthquake heightened societal anxiety, underscoring the need for safe housing as a social justice issue. Demographic factors and media use shaped anxiety levels, while trust in disaster management significantly declined.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Sociology of Inequalities, Sociology (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Early Pub Date
September 22, 2025
Publication Date
October 21, 2025
Submission Date
September 18, 2024
Acceptance Date
June 13, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 12 Number: 2
APA
Memiş Doğan, M., & Düzel, B. (2025). Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences, 12(2), 646-662. https://doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.1552058
AMA
1.Memiş Doğan M, Düzel B. Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake. IGUJSS. 2025;12(2):646-662. doi:10.17336/igusbd.1552058
Chicago
Memiş Doğan, Meryem, and Başak Düzel. 2025. “Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences 12 (2): 646-62. https://doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.1552058.
EndNote
Memiş Doğan M, Düzel B (October 1, 2025) Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences 12 2 646–662.
IEEE
[1]M. Memiş Doğan and B. Düzel, “Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake”, IGUJSS, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 646–662, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.17336/igusbd.1552058.
ISNAD
Memiş Doğan, Meryem - Düzel, Başak. “Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences 12/2 (October 1, 2025): 646-662. https://doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.1552058.
JAMA
1.Memiş Doğan M, Düzel B. Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake. IGUJSS. 2025;12:646–662.
MLA
Memiş Doğan, Meryem, and Başak Düzel. “Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 12, no. 2, Oct. 2025, pp. 646-62, doi:10.17336/igusbd.1552058.
Vancouver
1.Meryem Memiş Doğan, Başak Düzel. Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake. IGUJSS. 2025 Oct. 1;12(2):646-62. doi:10.17336/igusbd.1552058