Who Is More Traumatized? Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Mental Health Professionals Working with People Affected by the February 6,2023 Türkiye Earthquakes

Abstract

Two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6 hit Türkiye on February 6, 2023. After this disaster, mental health professionals extended assistance to people affected by earthquakes. Helping or wanting to help a traumatized individual may cause secondary traumatic stress (STS). This study aimed to examine associations among STS and compassion, psychological resilience, and perceived social support in a sample of mental health professionals working with people affected by the February 6, 2023 Türkiye earthquakes. The sample consisted of 143 mental health professionals of which 65% were psychological counselors, 28% were psychologists, and 7% were psychiatrists. According to the results, 30.8% of the participants had little or no STS, while 21.7% of them exhibited mild STS, 19.6% moderate STS, 10.5% high STS, and 17.5% severe STS. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictor variables of STS. The results revealed that the full model explained 37% of the variance (F_(8,134) = 11.45, p < .001, R² = .41, ΔR² = .37). Besides, the professionals met with less than 10 people had significantly lower STS scores than others. Accordingly, more attention should be paid to risk and protective factors toward STS. Also, it is necessary to increase the awareness of mental health professionals toward STS and organize trainings for professionals to acquire skills to protect themselves in Türkiye, which is an earthquake country and where major earthquakes are expected in the near future.