Araştırma Makalesi

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES

Cilt: 9 Sayı: 1 30 Haziran 2026
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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES

Öz

Social workers who serve in the field during disaster processes are among the occupational groups at risk for secondary traumatic stress, as they are continuously and indirectly exposed to the traumatic experiences of disaster victims. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the disaster awareness levels and secondary traumatic stress levels of social workers who actively served in the disaster area following the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023. The study was designed as a descriptive and correlational survey, and was conducted with 101 social workers reached through purposive sampling who declared that they had served in the disaster area. The data were collected online by means of a Personal Information Form, the Disaster Awareness Scale, and the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that there was no significant relationship between the total disaster awareness score and the level of secondary traumatic stress. However, a low-level, negative, and statistically significant correlation was found between the false disaster awareness subdimension and secondary traumatic stress. The multiple regression analysis indicated that the model was not statistically significant (F(4, 96) = 1.403, p = .239, R² = .055), and that the subdimensions of disaster awareness did not significantly predict secondary traumatic stress. These findings suggest that cognitive awareness regarding disasters does not, in itself, serve a directly protective function against secondary traumatic stress; nevertheless, the correlational relationship found between false disaster awareness and secondary traumatic stress should be re-examined in future studies using larger samples and models that include mediating variables.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Destekleyen Kurum

This research did not receive any specific grant or financial support from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Etik Beyan

Ethics committee approval for this study was obtained from the Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Social and Human Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Date: 02.12.2025, Decision Number: 2025/730). The research was conducted in accordance with the principles of scientific research and publication ethics. Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection, participation was based on a voluntary basis, and the principles of anonymity and confidentiality were observed throughout the study. The personal data of the participants were used solely for scientific purposes.

Teşekkür

The authors would like to thank all the social workers who voluntarily participated in this study and shared their experiences from the disaster field following the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.

Kaynakça

  1. Alkan, A. B. & Koçyiğit, E. G., (2025). Kahramanmaraş depremlerinden etkilenmiş bireylerle çalışan psikologlarda beş faktör kişilik özellikleri, duygu düzenleme ve ikincil travmatik stres düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki. Afet ve Risk Dergisi, 8(3), 1460-1476.
  2. Altun, F. (2018). Afetlerin ekonomik ve sosyal etkileri: Türkiye örneği üzerinden bir değerlendirme. Sosyal Çalışma Dergisi, 2(1), 1–15.
  3. Artan, T., & Özkan, A. O. (2020). Afetler ve sosyal hizmet. Journal of ADEM, 1(1), 47–54.
  4. Atalay, G. E. (2017). Şiddeti haber yapmak: Gazeteciler ve travma. Marmara İletişim Dergisi, 28, 21–32.
  5. Bock, C., Heitland, I., Zimmermann, T., Winter, L., & Kahl, K. G. (2020). Secondary traumatic stress, mental state, and work ability in nurses: Results of a psychological risk assessment at a university hospital. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 1–7.
  6. Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20
  7. Bonanno, G. A., Westphal, M., & Mancini, A. D. (2011). Resilience to loss and potential trauma. Annual review of clinical psychology, 7, 511–535. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104526
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Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Sosyal Hizmetler (Diğer)

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

30 Haziran 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

5 Mayıs 2026

Kabul Tarihi

22 Mayıs 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Cilt: 9 Sayı: 1

Kaynak Göster

APA
Yılmaz, B., Özkan, A. O., Şahin, A. B., & Urhan, G. (2026). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work, 9(1), 23-46. https://doi.org/10.54467/trjasw.1944542
AMA
1.Yılmaz B, Özkan AO, Şahin AB, Urhan G. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work. 2026;9(1):23-46. doi:10.54467/trjasw.1944542
Chicago
Yılmaz, Bilal, Aydın Olcay Özkan, Ayşe Bedia Şahin, ve Gulcan Urhan. 2026. “THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES”. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work 9 (1): 23-46. https://doi.org/10.54467/trjasw.1944542.
EndNote
Yılmaz B, Özkan AO, Şahin AB, Urhan G (01 Haziran 2026) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work 9 1 23–46.
IEEE
[1]B. Yılmaz, A. O. Özkan, A. B. Şahin, ve G. Urhan, “THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES”, Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work, c. 9, sy 1, ss. 23–46, Haz. 2026, doi: 10.54467/trjasw.1944542.
ISNAD
Yılmaz, Bilal - Özkan, Aydın Olcay - Şahin, Ayşe Bedia - Urhan, Gulcan. “THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES”. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work 9/1 (01 Haziran 2026): 23-46. https://doi.org/10.54467/trjasw.1944542.
JAMA
1.Yılmaz B, Özkan AO, Şahin AB, Urhan G. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work. 2026;9:23–46.
MLA
Yılmaz, Bilal, vd. “THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES”. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work, c. 9, sy 1, Haziran 2026, ss. 23-46, doi:10.54467/trjasw.1944542.
Vancouver
1.Bilal Yılmaz, Aydın Olcay Özkan, Ayşe Bedia Şahin, Gulcan Urhan. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL WORKERS’ DISASTER AWARENESS LEVELS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS: THE CASE OF THE KAHRAMANMARAŞ EARTHQUAKES. Turkish Journal of Applied Social Work. 01 Haziran 2026;9(1):23-46. doi:10.54467/trjasw.1944542