The Effect of religious coping and psychological resilience on post-traumatic growth: An Analysis of earthquake experience through structural equation modeling

The purpose of this study is to examine the direct and indirect effects of individuals' religious coping strategies and psychological resilience levels on post-traumatic growth through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study sample consists of 1,032 individuals who experienced the major earthquakes in Turkey, primarily the earthquakes of February 6, 2023. Data were collected using the Demographic Information Form, Religious Coping Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, and Post-Traumatic Growth Scale. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, confirmatory factor analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling were applied to perform confirmatory and exploratory analyses of the data. The analysis results indicate that religious coping has a direct positive effect on post-traumatic growth, and psychological resilience plays a supportive role in post-traumatic growth. Additionally, religious coping indirectly contributes to post-traumatic growth through psychological resilience. It was found that demographic variables such as age, gender, educational level, and socioeconomic status created significant differences in religious coping, psychological resilience, and post-traumatic growth levels. The findings emphasize the importance of psychological and spiritual support programs to foster post-traumatic growth and highlight the role of demographic variables in this process.