Investigation of Psychological Resilience and Secondary Traumatic Stress Levels of Volunteers Helping Individuals Experiencing Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 5 Sayı: Ek 1, 33 - 43, 19.12.2025

Ebru Başkaya , Halime Durkut , Sevcan Sevimli

Öz

The aim of our study is to examine the psychological resilience and secondary traumatic stress levels of volunteers who provided assistance to individuals who experienced the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. A descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 95 volunteers who provided assistance to individuals who experienced the Kahramanmaraş-based earthquakes between March and April 2023. Participant Information Form, Psychological Resilience Scale for Adults (PRAS) and Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) were used to collect data. 93.7% of the participants had listened to a traumatic life event from the people with whom they were in a helping relationship, 71.6% had experienced a traumatic life event, and 55.8% rated their workload in a week as 5 in disaster work. The mean total score of the PRAS was 130.11±22.28 and the mean total score of the STSS was 39.74±12.40. In addition, a negative and moderately significant relationship was found between PRAS and STSS (p<0,05). These findings show that the majority of the participants were exposed to traumatic life events and faced with an intense workload in disaster work. In addition, these findings reveal that the participants generally have a good level of psychological resilience and are exposed to moderate levels of secondary trauma stress.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Earthquake , psychological resilience , secondary traumatic stress , voluntary helping behaviour

Kaynakça

• Basım, H. N., & Çetin, F. (2011). Yetişkinler için psikolojik dayanıklılık ölçeği’nin güvenirlik ve geçerlilik çalışması. Türk Psikiyatri Dergisi, 22(2), 104–114. Bekircan, E., Usta, G., & Torpuş, K. (2024). The effect of psychological first aid intervention on stress and psychological resilience in volunteers participating in 2023 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. Current Psychology, 43(12), 11383–11393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05239-z
• Birinci, G. G., & Erden, G. (2016). Yardım çalışanlarında üstlenilmiş travma, ikincil travmatik stres ve tükenmişliğin değerlendirilmesi. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 31(77), 1–16. Bride, B. E., Robinson, M. M., Yegidis, B., & Figley, C. R. (2004). Development and validation of the secondary traumatic stress scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 14(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731503254106
• Çobanoğlu, A., & Oğuzhan, H. (2024). The relationship between the psychological resilience levels and ruminative thought styles of nurses providing care for earthquake victims: 2023 earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. Current Psychology. 43:32873–32882. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024- 06803-x
• Erdener, M. (2019). Afet alanında çalışan profesyonellerin psikolojik dayanıklılık ve ikincil travmatik stres düzeylerinin incelenmesi [Master’s thesis, Hacettepe Üniversitesi]. Friborg, O. (2005). Validation of a scale to measure resilience in adults [Doctoral dissertation, University of Tromsø, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology]. Greinacher, A., Nikendei, A., Kottke, R., Wiesbeck, J., Herzog, W., & Nikendei, C. (2019). Secondary trauma, psychological stress, and resilience in psychosocial emergency care personnel. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(18), 3213. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16173213
• Gürdil, G. (2014). Üstlenilmiş travma ve ikincil travmatik stresin travmatik yaşantılara müdahale eden bir grup üzerinde geştalt temas biçimleri çerçevesinde değerlendirilmesi [Doctoral dissertation, Ankara Üniversitesi]. Haksal, P. (2007). Acil servis personelinde görülen ikincil travmatik stres düzeyinin disosiyasyon düzeyi, sosyal destek algısı ve başa çıkma stratejileri açısından incelenmesi [Doctoral dissertation, Hacettepe Üniversitesi]. Kahil, A. (2016). Travmatik yaşantıları olan bireylere yardım davranışında bulunan profesyonel ve gönüllülerin ikincil travmatik stres düzeylerinin incelenmesi [Master’s thesis, Ufuk Üniversitesi]. Maiorano, T., Vagni, M., Giostra, V., & Pajardi, D. (2020). COVID-19:
• Risk factors and protective role of resilience and coping strategies for emergency stress and secondary trauma in medical staff and emergency workers—An online-based inquiry. Sustainability, 12(21), 9004. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219004
• Pak, M. D., Özcan, E., & Çoban, A. (2017). Acil servis çalışanlarının ikincil travmatik stres düzeyi ve psikolojik dayanıklılığı. Journal of International Social Research, 10(52), 628–644. http://dx.doi.org/10.17719/jisr.2017.1923 Rucklidge, J. J., Afzali, M. U., Kaplan, B. J., Bhattacharya, O., Blampied, F. M., Mulder, R. T., &. Blampied, N. M. (2021). Massacre, earthquake, flood: Translational science evidence that the use of micronutrients postdisaster reduces the risk of posttraumatic stress in survivors of disasters. International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 10(1), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.1027/2157-3891/a000003
• Sehlikoğlu, Ş., Yılmaz Karaman, İ. G., Yastıbaş Kaçar, C., & Canakci, M. E. (2023). Deprem ve sağlık çalışanlarının ruh sağlığı: Bir sistematik derleme. Klinik Psikiyatri Dergisi, 26(4), 309–318. https://doi.org/ 10.5505/kpd.2023.70845
• Selvi, Ö., & Aslan, A. (2024). 6 Şubat 2023 Maraş depreminde görev yapan sağlık çalışanlarının travma sonrası stres ve psikolojik dayanıklılık ilişkilerinin değerlendirilmesi. Middle Black Sea Journal of Communication Studies, 9(1), 1–18. Sevim, K., & Öksüz Poplata, S. (2024). Kahramanmaraş depremi sonrası gönüllü çalışmalara katılan kişilerin psikolojik dayanıklılık ve ikincil travmatik stres düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki. TYB Akademi, Special Issue, 62–77.Shi, X., Wang, S., Wang, Z., & Fan, F. (2021). The resilience scale: Factorial structure, reliability, validity, and parenting-related factors among disaster-exposed adolescents. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03153-x
• Su, Y., Wu, X. V., Ogawa, N., Yuki, M., Hu, Y., & Yang, Y. (2022). Nursing skills required across natural and man-made disasters: A scoping review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(10), 3141–3158. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15337
• Tominaga, Y., Goto, T., Shelby, J., Oshio, A., Nishi, D., & Takahashi, S. (2019). Secondary trauma and posttraumatic growth among mental health clinicians involved in disaster relief activities following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 33(4), 427–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2019.1639493 Vagni, M., Maiorano, T., Giostra, V., & Pajardi, D. (2020). Hardiness and coping strategies as mediators of stress and secondary trauma in emergency workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability, 12(18), 7561. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1218756