The Psychological Toll on Healthcare Workers Following Türkiye`s Earthquake Disasters

Authors : Meltem Gürü, Özge Şahmelikoğlu Onur

Pages : 52-59

Doi:10.26453/otjhs.1589646

View : 55 | Download : 58

Publication Date : 2025-03-17

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: The Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes in Türkiye profoundly impacted local healthcare workers\\\' mental health. This study examines the relationships between sociodemographic and clinical variables, perceived social support, and psychological resilience in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) development. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 104 healthcare workers from ten affected provinces: Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Şanlıurfa. Participants completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Results: The results revealed that 17.3% of participants exhibited severe trauma responses, while 82.7% had low trauma responses. Higher PTSD rates were associated with individuals living in moderately to severely damaged homes (%13.5, p=0.009) and assistant doctors whose education was interrupted by the disaster (%5.87, p= 0.019). Furthermore, PTSD diagnosis was positively correlated with anxiety (33±9, p<0.001) and depression scores (28±13, p<0,001) and negatively correlated with resilience (43±13, p<0.001). Conclusion: These findings emphasize the urgent need for improved working conditions and the implementation of long-term follow-up studies for healthcare workers in earthquake-prone areas, to address the psychological impact of such disasters.
Keywords : Depremler, sağlık çalışanları, post-travmatik stres bozuklukları, psikolojik dirençlilik