Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia

Yıldız Özkılıç; Maziye Ilhan; Melike Bağ

doi:10.55236/tuara.1826976

Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia

Abstract

This study investigated the unique roles of alexithymia subdimensions—Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF), and Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT)—in predicting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) among 99 individuals directly affected by the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Utilizing a predictive correlational design, multiple regression analyses revealed that alexithymia subdimensions differentially predicted distress and growth outcomes. Consistent with established literature, DDF was the sole significant predictor of all three PTSD symptom clusters (intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal), accounting for 35% of the variance in intrusion symptoms. This finding highlights the critical role of verbal emotional expression deficits in acute post-traumatic distress, particularly within the context of collective trauma. In contrast, PTG was not significantly correlated with the emotional subdimensions (DIF and DDF) but was negatively and significantly predicted by EOT in the domains of Changes in Self-Perception and Changes in Relating to Others. This suggests that a highly external, concrete cognitive style may function as a barrier to the reflective processes necessary for positive psychological transformation. Correlation analyses also showed no significant association between PTSD symptoms and PTG, supporting the notion that they are relatively independent psychological processes. These results underscore the necessity of targeted interventions: addressing difficulties in describing feelings to reduce acute stress and promoting internal cognitive reflection to facilitate post-traumatic growth.

Keywords

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425763

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Educational Psychology

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Yıldız Özkılıç ^*
0000-0002-5897-6036
Türkiye

Maziye Ilhan
0009-0007-8307-9509
Türkiye

Melike Bağ
0009-0001-4580-5764
Türkiye

Publication Date

January 26, 2026

Submission Date

November 19, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 20, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.55236/tuara.1826976

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA83ST76UB

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Özkılıç, Y., Ilhan, M., & Bağ, M. (2026). Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia. The Universal Academic Research Journal, 8(1), 44-63. https://doi.org/10.55236/tuara.1826976

AMA

1.Özkılıç Y, Ilhan M, Bağ M. Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia. The Universal Academic Research Journal. 2026;8(1):44-63. doi:10.55236/tuara.1826976

Chicago

Özkılıç, Yıldız, Maziye Ilhan, and Melike Bağ. 2026. “Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia”. The Universal Academic Research Journal 8 (1): 44-63. https://doi.org/10.55236/tuara.1826976.

EndNote

Özkılıç Y, Ilhan M, Bağ M (January 1, 2026) Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia. The Universal Academic Research Journal 8 1 44–63.

IEEE

[1]Y. Özkılıç, M. Ilhan, and M. Bağ, “Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia”, The Universal Academic Research Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 44–63, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.55236/tuara.1826976.

ISNAD

Özkılıç, Yıldız - Ilhan, Maziye - Bağ, Melike. “Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia”. The Universal Academic Research Journal 8/1 (January 1, 2026): 44-63. https://doi.org/10.55236/tuara.1826976.

JAMA

1.Özkılıç Y, Ilhan M, Bağ M. Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia. The Universal Academic Research Journal. 2026;8:44–63.

MLA

Özkılıç, Yıldız, et al. “Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia”. The Universal Academic Research Journal, vol. 8, no. 1, Jan. 2026, pp. 44-63, doi:10.55236/tuara.1826976.

Vancouver

1.Yıldız Özkılıç, Maziye Ilhan, Melike Bağ. Emotional Processing Difficulties and Psychological Outcomes Following Earthquake Trauma: The Role of Alexithymia. The Universal Academic Research Journal. 2026 Jan. 1;8(1):44-63. doi:10.55236/tuara.1826976