Voluntary Search-and-Rescue Workers’ Experiences After Witnessing Trauma in the Earthquake Field

Ayşen Köse

doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1214128

EN

Voluntary Search-and-Rescue Workers’ Experiences After Witnessing Trauma in the Earthquake Field

Abstract

Turkey has an earthquake-prone geography, and as in Turkey, when professional resources are not sufficiently available in a community hit by a disaster, volunteer search-and-rescue workers’ help is crucial for quickly meeting disaster-area needs. However, few studies focus on volunteer search-and-rescuer’s post-traumatic reactions although trauma literature has grown regarding professional search-and-rescue teams’ post-traumatic responses. Based on this gap in the literature, this study was conducted. This qualitative study provides an in-depth understanding of secondary trauma and vicarious post-traumatic growth among 13 search-and-rescue team workers involved in disaster relief activities following the 2020 Izmir earthquake in Turkey. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and an interpretive phenomenological approach was used. The findings revealed that the participants suffered secondary traumatic stress symptoms, namely, hyperarousal, intrusive images, and thoughts but experienced vicarious post-traumatic growth in discovering personal strength, relating to others, appreciating life, and striving to do their job better. This study’s findings can be a source for developing psychosocial post-disaster support services and interventions for volunteers and be used to improve pre-field preparation training content for voluntary search-and-rescue teams. The findings also underlined the fact that focusing on facilitating vicarious post-traumatic growth is as crucial as overcoming voluntary search-and-rescue workers’ post-traumatic stress.

Keywords

Secondary Traumatic Stress , Vicarious Post-Traumatic Growth , Volunteer Search-And-Rescue Teams , Earthquake , Trauma

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Ayşen Köse ^*
0000-0001-8394-2236
Türkiye

Publication Date

January 31, 2023

Submission Date

December 3, 2022

Acceptance Date

January 23, 2023

Published in Issue

Year 2023 Volume: 20 Number: 51

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1214128

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA68JU93BB

APA

Köse, A. (2023). Voluntary Search-and-Rescue Workers’ Experiences After Witnessing Trauma in the Earthquake Field. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 20(51), 56-66. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1214128

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https://doi.org/10.15869/itobiad.1499693

Voluntary Search-and-Rescue Workers’ Experiences After Witnessing Trauma in the Earthquake Field

Öz

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Voluntary Search-and-Rescue Workers’ Experiences After Witnessing Trauma in the Earthquake Field

Abstract

Keywords

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

DOI

IZ

Cite

Cited By

The Relationship Between Earthquake Risk Perception and Claustrophobia Level and Affecting Factors