Examination of psychological effects of the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake on university students in terms of sociodemographic variables

This study aimed to examine the psychological effects of the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake on university students in terms of sociodemographic variables. The research group was formed by purposive sampling method among the students continuing their education at Gümüşhane University Faculty of Health Sciences. In this context, the research was carried out with 594 students who volunteered to participate in the study. Personal information form and brief symptom inventory were used as data collection tools. Data analysis was carried out using t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). As a result of the research, it was determined that being female, being in the low income group, receiving professional psychological support before the earthquake, experiencing the earthquake directly, losing relatives in the earthquake, feeling the need for psychological help after the earthquake and feeling insecure were risk factors for experiencing psychological symptoms. Identifying risk factors that may affect mental health after disasters is of great importance for psychological support and treatment studies. In this regard, it is thought that the findings of this study will contribute to a better understanding of risk factors after a mass disaster and the design of effective public health interventions for victims.