The Effect Of Social Media Use On Disaster Anxiety Level Of Individuals

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between individuals' social media use and disaster anxiety levels. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July and August 2023.The study involved 603 participants over the age of 18 who were living in XXX province and had access to social media. The data were collected using the "Descriptive Questionnaire" the "Social Media Use Scale" and the "Disaster Anxiety Scale" to interpret the data, percentages, averages, independent group t-tests, ANOVA tests, Pearson correlations and simple linear regression analyses were used. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to test whether the model structure of the study was sufficient to explain the research. Every step of the research process was conducted in accordance with ethical principles. Results: In this study, 53.5% of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 29,78.6% lived in an apartment building and 66.8% had personal experience with disasters. It was determined that 49.7% of participants had a mild level of disaster anxiety based on the Disaster Anxiety Scale. The overall mean score of the Disaster Anxiety Scale was found to be 11.54±8.27, while the overall mean score of the Social Media Use Scale was 22.31±6.66. Conclusion: These results suggested a positive but marginal relationship between social media use and disaster anxiety. As a result, it was revealed that participants' levels of disaster anxiety increased with the increased use of social media. Keywords: Anxiety, disaster, earthquake, social media.

Keywords

• Anxiety
• disaster
• earthquake
• social media.

Sosyal Medya Kullanımının Bireylerin Afet Kaygı Düzeyi Üzerindeki Etkisi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, bireylerin sosyal medya kullanımı ile afet kaygı düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Materyal ve Yöntemler: Bu kesitsel çalışma, Temmuz ve Ağustos 2023 tarihleri ​​arasında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmaya, XXX ilinde yaşayan ve sosyal medyaya erişimi olan 18 yaş üstü 603 katılımcı dahil edilmiştir. Veriler, "Tanımlayıcı Anket", "Sosyal Medya Kullanım Ölçeği" ve "Afet Kaygı Ölçeği" kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Verilerin yorumlanmasında yüzdeler, ortalamalar, bağımsız grup t-testleri, ANOVA testleri, Pearson korelasyonları ve basit doğrusal regresyon analizleri kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın model yapısının araştırmayı açıklamak için yeterli olup olmadığını test etmek için Yapısal Denklem Modeli (SEM) kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sürecinin her aşaması etik ilkelere uygun olarak yürütülmüştür. Sonuçlar: Bu çalışmada, katılımcıların %53,5'i 18-29 yaşları arasındaydı, %78,6'sı apartmanda yaşıyordu ve %66,8'inin afetlerle ilgili kişisel deneyimi vardı. Afet Kaygı Ölçeği'ne göre katılımcıların %49,7'sinin hafif düzeyde afet kaygısı yaşadığı belirlendi. Afet Kaygı Ölçeği'nin genel ortalama puanı 11,54±8,27 iken, Sosyal Medya Kullanım Ölçeği'nin genel ortalama puanı 22,31±6,66 olarak bulundu. Sonuç: Bu sonuçlar, sosyal medya kullanımı ile afet kaygısı arasında pozitif ancak marjinal bir ilişki olduğunu göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak, katılımcıların afet kaygısı düzeylerinin sosyal medya kullanımının artmasıyla arttığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Kaygı, afet, deprem, sosyal medya.

Keywords

• Kaygı
• afet
• deprem
• sosyal medya.

References

1. Aktaş, Y. (2020). Earthquakes in Erzincan (XI-XV centuries). Journal of Turkish Research Institute, 68, 399-419.
2. Bentler, P.M. (1990). Comparative Fit Indexes in Structural Model. Psychological Bulletin, 1990, Vol. 107, No 2.238-246.
3. Bekircan, E., Adıgüzel, V., Tan, K. (2024). Afetlerde Sosyal Medya Kullaniminin Ölüm Korkusu Üzerine Etkisi. Paramedik ve Acil Sağlık Hizmetleri Dergisi, 5(1), 23-30.
4. Birand, A, Ergünay, O. (2001) Overview of Turkey's disaster problems and Erzincan earthquake application, Turkish Earthquake Foundation, 1-49.
5. Bodur, A., & Emecen, Y. (2026). Urban–rural disparities in disaster awareness and preparedness: a case study from Türkiye. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 13(1), 637.
6. Bozkurt, V. (2023). The Social Dimension of Earthquake. Journal of Avrasya Dosyasi, 14(1), 89-111.
7. Cansel, N., İlknur, U. (2022). Post-traumatic stress and associated factors among healthcare workers in the early stage following the 2020 Malatya-Elazığ earthquake. Konuralp Medical Journal, 14, 81-91.
8. Chinna, K., Sundarasen, S., Khoshaim, H. B., et al. (2021). Psychological impact of COVID-19 and lock down measures: An online cross-sectional multicounty study on Asian university students. PloS one, 16(8), e0253059.

9. Cruz, J. P., Balay-Odao, E. M., Bajet, J. B., et al. (2022). Testing the validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale among Saudi nursing students. Nurse education in practice, 64, 103443.
10. Çelik, İ.H., Usta, G., Usta, M. (2022). Addressing COVID-19 in Terms of Disaster Management and Evaluation of Public Fear Level. IBAD Journal of Social Sciences, 13, 419-437.
11. Çölgeçen, Y., Çölgeçen, H. (2020). Evaluation of Anxiety Levels Arising From Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case of Turkey. Electronic Turkish Studies, 15(4), 261-275. Craske, M. G., Rauch, S. L., Ursano, R., et al. (2011). What is an anxiety disorder? Focus, 9(3), 369-388.
12. Demiröz, K. (2020). A Research on the Functionality and Damage of Social Media in Disaster Crisis Management. Resilience, 4, 293-304.
13. Deniz, L., Tutgun-Ünal, A. (2019). Development of a Set of Scales toward the Use of Social Media and Values of Generations in Social Media Age. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 11, 1025-157.
14. Duman, Ö.D. (2021). The Reflection of Social Media Addiction on Erzurum Province. Journal of Graduate School of Social Sciences, 25, 343-362.
15. Durak, H., Seferoğlu, S.S. (2016). Investigation Of Social Media Literacy And Social Media Usage Patterns In Turkey. Journal of International Social Research, 9(46), 526-536.
16. Duruel, M. (2023). Disaster Experinces of the Older Adults at the Intersection of Vulnerability and Resilience: The February 6, Earthquakes in the Case of Hatay. PESA International Journal of Social Studies, 9, 103-120.
17. Haçin, İ. (2014). 1939 Great Earthquake Erzincan. The Journal of Atatürk Research Center, 30, 37-70.
18. Hilberts, S., Govers, M., Petelos, E., & Evers, S. (2025). The impact of misinformation on social media in the context of natural disasters: narrative review. JMIR infodemiology, 5, e70413.
19. Gencer, N. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fear Of Individuals During The Pandemia: Çorum Sample. USBAD, 62, 1153-1173.
20. Güzel, A. (2022). Development of the disaster anxiety scale and exploring its psychometric properties. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 41, 175-180.
21. Qiu, J., Shen, B., Zhao, M., et al. (2020). A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. General psychiatry, 33(2).
22. Kaplan, V., Alkasaby, et al., (2024). The impact of earthquakes on women: assessing women's mental health in aftermath of the Kahramanmaraş-centred earthquake in Türkiye. Journal of Public Health, 46(3), e510-e519.
23. Kılıç, S. (2013). Sampling Methods. Journal of Mood Disorders, 3(1), 44-47.
24. Kirman, F. (2023) Traumatic Stress Reactions after Earthquake and its Reflections on Social Media. Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Faculty of Theology Journal, 6, 15-30.
25. Li, K., Li, D. (2023). Excessive social media use during the rainstorm disaster: Exploring the effects of social media overload on anxiety.
26. Mızrak, S. (2024). Public's social media use during the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on 6 February 2023. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 108, 104541.
27. Mishra, S., Suar, D. (2012). Effects of anxiety, disaster education, and resources on disaster preparedness behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(5), 1069-1087.
28. Muhammed, T.S., Mathew, S.K. (2022). The disaster of misinformation: a review of research in social media. International journal of data science and analytics, 13, 271-285.
29. Muñoz-Nieves, C., Greaves, et al. (2025). Sex and gender influences on the impacts of disasters: A rapid review of evidence. International journal of environmental research and public health, 22(9), 1417.
30. Özdamar, K. (2017). Ölçek ve test geliştirme yapısal eşitlik modellemesi IBM SPSS, IBM SPSS AMOS ve MINTAB uygulamalı. Eskişehir: Nisan Kitabevi, 78-79.
31. Rahman, M. M., Hossain, S., Emon, F. A., et al. (2026). Exploring depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological distress among women following the 2025 flash flood: a cross-sectional study in Feni, Bangladesh. BMC Public Health, 26(1), 1183.
32. Ruhan, İ. (2023). The Importance Of Social Media Use In The Events And Development Of 2023 Turkey Earthquake Process: A Research On Social Media Users In Nigde And Its Region. Uşak University Faculty of Applied Sciences Journal, 3, 44-66.
33. Sakaoğlu, H. H., Orbatu, D., Emiroglu, M., et al.(2020). Spielberger state and trait anxiety level in healthcare professionals during the Covid-19 outbreak: A case of Tepecik hospital. The Journal of Tepecik Education and Research Hospital, 30(Supp: 2), 1-9.
34. Schønning, V., Hjetland, G. J., et al. (2020). Social media use and mental health and well-being among adolescents–a scoping review. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 1949.
35. Seçer, İ. (2018). Psikolojik test geliştirme ve uyarlama süreci: SPSS ve LISREL uygulamaları. Anı yayıncılık
36. Selçuk, Ş. (2023). The Effect of Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes on The Economy. Diplomasi ve Strateji Dergisi, 4, 1-55.
37. Şahin, E., Türk, F., Hamamcı, Z. (2022). The Relationship Between Coping Attitudes of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Experienced During Covid-19 Pandemic and Social Media Addiction. Journal of Erciyes Communication, 9, 165-186.
38. Şahin, A. U., Yücel, H., & Kara, B. (2026). Earthquake preparedness in the context of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory and the risk perception paradox: the role of socioeconomic inequalities in Türkiye. BMC Public Health.
39. Şahinsoy, K. (2017). Conventional And Social Media In Terms Of Crisis Management. Istanbul Aydin University Journal, 9, 1-19.
40. Taş, H. G., Kuyrukluyildiz, N., Akkus, M., et al. (2022). Healthcare workers’ socio-psychological status after a year with COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional faceto-face survey in Erzincan, Turkey. Pan African Medical Journal, 41(1).
41. Vasterman, P., Yzermans, J., Dirkzwager, A. (2005). The role of the media and media hypes in the aftermath of disasters. Epidemiologic reviews, 27, 107-114.
42. Wong, A., Carlbäck, J. (2018). A Study on Factors Influencing Acceptance of Using Mobile Electronic Identification Applications in Sweden.
43. Yamazaki, C., Nakai, H. (2023). Understanding mothers’ worries about the effects of disaster evacuation on their children: a cross-sectional study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(3), 1850.
44. Yıldırım, M., Seyrek, et al. (2025). The mediating roles of perceived social support and resilience in the relationship between earthquake anxiety and traumatic experiences among earthquake survivors in Turkey. Acta psychologica, 253, 104714.
45. Yigitcanlar, T., Regona, M., Kankanamge, N., et al. (2022). Detecting natural hazard-related disaster impacts with social media analytics: the case of Australian states and territories. Sustainability, 14(2), 810.
46. Yildiz, S. (2017). Sampling Problems In Social Sciences: A Holistic View To The Sampling Theory From Quantitative And Qualitative Paradigms. The Journal of Kesit Academy, 421-442.
47. Zhao, N., Zhou, G. (2020). Social media use and mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Moderator role of disaster stressor and mediator role of negative affect. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 12, 1019-1038