An investigation of stress and death anxiety levels of individuals who experienced the earthquake after major earthquakes in Turkey

AimThis study aims to investigate the stress and death anxiety levels of individuals who experienced the earthquake after the major earthquakes that occurred in the Pazarc & imath;k and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmara & scedil; in Turkey on February 6, 2023. MethodsThe study, which used a descriptive design, was conducted between May 2023 and July 2023, with 408 individuals who agreed to participate in the study and met the inclusion criteria in the provinces affected by the earthquake. Data were collected through the 'Personal Information Form' including questions about individuals' socio-demographic characteristics, the 'Death Anxiety Scale' and the 'Post-Earthquake Trauma Level Determination Scale'. ResultsThe Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) mean scores indicated significant differences according to age, gender, and the presence of a personal or family disaster plan (p < 0.05). A significant difference was found between the Post-Earthquake Trauma Level Determination Scale (PETLDS) mean scores according to gender, employment, income level, loss of a relative due to the earthquake, and physical injury during the earthquake (p < 0.05). ConclusionsResults showed that the participants were exposed to a moderate level of death anxiety and a high level of trauma after the earthquake. It was also found that the level of trauma increased with the increase in death anxiety.

Dergi

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

Yıl

2026

Cilt

30

Sayı

1

Sayfa

66-71

ISSN

1365-1501

eISSN

1471-1788

DOI

10.1080/13651501.2025.2589226

WoS UID

WOS:001618246800001