6 February Kahramanmaras earthquakes and religious coping in young women (the case of Malatya)

This study examined how young women who experienced the February 6 Kahramanmaras earthquake coped with the difficulties they experienced after the earthquake. Qualitative research method was used in the study. In the study, data were obtained using semi-structured interview technique with 30 women living in Malatya province in 2024, aged between 14-30. In the first part of the study, which consists of two parts: theoretical framework and findings and comments, the concepts of earthquake, women and religious coping were discussed in detail and a conceptual framework was drawn. In the second part of the study, the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants in the study were given in tables. Then, themes were created about how the participants coped with the difficulties they experienced after the earthquake and explanations were made about these themes. In the evaluation part of the study, comments were made about the findings obtained from the themes, and in the conclusion part, general results of the study were presented. As a result, it was determined that the young women who participated in the study used religious coping elements such as prayer, gratitude, prayer, reading the Quran, listening to religious conversations, and fate. It was observed that gratitude and prayer, which are among these elements, were used more intensely compared to other religious coping elements. On the other hand, it was revealed that the young women who participated in the study used the coping elements such as suppression, reflection, trust in experts, social support, finding a job, staying away from elements that remind them of the earthquake, sharing common feelings and situations, altruistic behavior, changing living space, individual soothing, and taking precautions for the earthquake. It was observed that the social support and finding a job elements among the coping elements were used more than the other coping elements. When the results of the study were considered in general, it was revealed that young women between the ages of 14-30 used the coping elements more intensively compared to the religious coping elements.