The effect of experience and intervention duration on emotional fatigue in occupational groups supporting psychosocial studies after the February 6 Earthquake

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between professional experience, duration of intervention, and compassion fatigue among professional groups who participated in psychosocial support efforts following the earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023. The sample of the study consisted of 155 individuals who took part in post-disaster psychosocial support services and were reached through snowball sampling. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic Information Form, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Non-parametric tests, Spearman correlation analyses, simple linear regression analyses, and independent samples t-tests were employed for data analysis. According to the BSI results, participants reported low levels of anxiety, negative self-concept, somatization, and hostility, while their depression level was moderate, resulting in an overall psychological symptom level of moderate severity. Findings from the STSS indicated that Avoidance and Arousal levels were low, while Emotional Intrusion was at a moderate level, with overall secondary traumatic stress ranging between low and moderate. The analyses revealed a very weak relationship between negative self-concept and professional experience. Furthermore, significant differences were found among professional groups in the subdimensions of secondary traumatic stress, namely emotional intrusion and arousal. In particular, civil servants reported higher levels of emotional impact and arousal responses compared to psychologists and social workers. These findings highlight the necessity of considering additional variables that may influence compassion fatigue and psychological symptom levels in post-disaster psychosocial support practices.