A study on the relationship between secondary traumatic stress levels and religious coping attitudes among volunteers in earthquake zones

This study examines the relationship between secondary traumatic stress levels, religious coping attitudes, and intrinsic religious motivation among individuals who voluntarily traveled to the earthquake-affected region following the devastating earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023. The research was conducted with 243 volunteers who participated in relief efforts in the disaster area. Designed following the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, the study utilized a personal information form, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, the Religious Coping Scale, and the Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale. Data were analyzed using Independent Sample t-Test, Pearson Correlation Analysis, and Ordinary Least Square Regression (OLS) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analyses. Findings revealed that participants experienced a moderate level of secondary traumatic stress. There were no differences between levels of secondary traumatic stress and variables such as gender, marital status, having children, prior exposure to a major earthquake, experiencing the earthquake during the volunteer process, and previous volunteering in disaster-affected areas. Negative religious coping were positively associated with secondary traumatic stress in both correlation and regression analyses. While there was not relationship between positive religious coping and secondary traumatic stress, regression analysis indicated that positive religious coping predicted secondary traumatic stress positively. Similarly, although there was no significant correlation between intrinsic religious motivation and secondary traumatic stress, regression analysis revealed that intrinsic religious motivation negatively predicted secondary traumatic stress. The most noteworthy finding of the study was that intrinsic religious motivation had a protective effect by weakening the relationship between negative religious coping and secondary traumatic stress. In conclusion, it can be stated that religious belief served as a natural coping mechanism for the volunteers working in the earthquake zone in dealing with secondary traumatic stress.