The emotional and experiential analysis of women who experienced the February 6, 2023 earthquakes and continued their education in Istanbul through interpretative phenomenological analysis

This study aims to examine the post-earthquake emotions and experiences of women aged 18–26 who lived through the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes and subsequently moved to Istanbul to continue their university education. The research was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), one of the qualitative research methods, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine women who experienced the earthquake in the affected region and later relocated to Istanbul for their education.The analyses revealed five main themes: the contradiction created by moving to Istanbul: abrupt transition and recovery, continuing life by ignoring the earthquake, the difference between one's own earthquake experience and the identity of being an "earthquake victim," feelings of guilt and shame associated with continuing life, and the transformative impact of the earthquake experience.The study found that relocating to a new city after the earthquake influenced the participants' emotional recovery processes, although difficulties in social and cultural adaptation were observed. Additionally, it was noted that participants experienced complex emotions regarding the "earthquake victim" identity and displayed significant efforts to distance themselves from this identity. The findings contribute to the literature by enhancing the understanding of the individual and societal impacts of earthquake trauma.