Coping experiences of forced migrants in Turkey facing a secondary disaster: The case of the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş

Forced migrants, who are compelled to seek refuge in neighboring countries due to involuntary displacement from their homelands, occupy a particularly vulnerable and fragile position in the face of potential disasters in the societies to which they migrate, following their initial disaster experiences. The aim of this study is to understand how university student forced migrants—who were affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay in February 2023—experienced the earthquake as a secondary disaster. The research was designed using a mixed-methods strategy, consisting of a semi-structured open-ended question form and a structured questionnaire form composed of multiple-choice questions, in line with both qualitative and quantitative paradigms. Within the scope of the mixed-methods approach, a convergent parallel design was employed. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis, while quantitative data were independently analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. The findings from both analyses were interpreted in conjunction with the existing literature. In the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 participants using stratified sampling, maximum variation sampling, and snowball (chain) sampling methods. In the quantitative phase, stratified and simple random sampling methods were utilized, resulting in data collection from 169 participants. The research was conducted across six earthquake-affected provinces in total. Qualitative data were analyzed using the MAXQDA software through the creation of code-theme lists, while quantitative data were analyzed via the SPSS software package. Of the 28 participants who took part in the qualitative interviews, 27 reported having no prior knowledge, awareness, or preparedness regarding disasters before the earthquake. Participants noted significant difficulties in meeting basic needs—such as shelter, food and water, hygiene, search and rescue, and access to healthcare services—particularly within the first three days following the disaster. Furthermore, while not always directly experienced by the participants themselves, language barriers were reported to be a significant issue within their immediate communities. Based on the findings obtained from this study, various recommendations were developed and presented to policymakers.