Marife Turkish Journal of Religious Studies

Abstract

It is expected that some physical and psychological negative effects are seen in individuals who are exposed to traumatic life events such as disasters. However, disasters can also have some effects on individuals who are not directly exposed to the event. Especially in health, media, and search and rescue groups that serve victims of trauma, those who follow the effects of the disaster through the media, those who think they have similarities with the victims and identify with them, the seconder symptoms similar to the psychological effects seen in victims of trauma can be expected. Turkey and the world awoke on the morning of February 6, 2023, to the news of a major disaster with shocking and devastating effects. Two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş and Pazarcık directly affected 11 provinces and the inhabitants in a wide area, causing great losses. From the first hours of the disaster, all people of the country and citizens living outside the country followed the media intensively to get news from the earthquake area. The aim of this study is to (I) examine the first psychological effects of two recent major earthquake events in 11 provinces of Turkey on individuals who are not directly exposed to the disaster and followed the events through the media and (II) the methods used to cope with these effects and determining the place of religious coping among the methods of coping. The data collection process was started on the 40th day of the disaster and completed within 6 days to determine the disaster's first effects while it was still fresh in the memory. Inclusion criteria in the data collection process were listed as being 18 years old and over, being a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, not personally experiencing the February 6 earthquake, and following it from the media. In the study, 75 people were reached from online platforms with a structured interview form from qualitative research methods, "What are the negative effects of the earthquake disaster on your feelings and thoughts?" and “What did you do to cope with the negative effects of the disaster?” questions were answered. Participants were 50 women and 25 men between the ages of 21 and 65, living in Ankara, Istanbul, Kırklareli, Çorum, Konya, Eskişehir, Afyon, Bursa, Kocaeli, Aydın, Kastamonu, Isparta, İzmir, Berlin, and Tilburg, outside the region where the disaster took place. The data were analyzed by thematic analysis, which requires a rigorous process. The two main themes determined as a result of the research are; the effects on psychological health and coping strategies. Under the theme of effects on psychological health; sub-themes of secondary traumatic stress reactions, grief reactions, and categories related to these sub-themes were reached. In the theme of coping strategies; sub-themes of self-help, religious coping, prosocial behavior, and categories related to these sub-themes were reached. The categories determined under the sub-theme of secondary traumatic stress reactions were excessive thinking, negative beliefs about the future, blaming oneself or others, negative mood (anxiety-fear-panic-stress-desperation-feeling of inadequacy-extreme empathy), survival guilt, hyperarousal, sleep disturbance/nightmares, meaninglessness and break from routine; The categories determined under the sub-theme of grief reactions are shock/denial, feeling angry and guilty, and intense grief. Under the theme of coping strategies, under the sub-theme of self-help; to engage in occupations, receive social support, stay away from earthquake news, gain awareness of earthquakes, and take precautions; on the other hand, under the sub-theme of positive religious coping, the categories of praying, turning to worship, penitence/thankfulness/trust in God, and obtaining religious knowledge were reached. It was seen that the coping method that the participants mostly used in the coping process was positive religious coping, followed by prosocial behaviors and self-help behaviors. The findings were evaluated in light of the literature.