The Level of Trauma and Hopelessness of Survivor Nursing Students of the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes: The Case of Türkiye.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the post-earthquake trauma and hopelessness levels of nursing students due to the earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023.

METHODS

This study was conducted between April and May 2023 in the Nursing Department in a province located in Southeastern Türkiye using the face-to-face interview technique. The study was completed with 276 students in line with the power analysis. The data were collected using a questionnaire, the Scale that Determines the Level of Post-Earthquake Trauma (SDLPET), and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS).

RESULTS

The mean SDLPET and BHS scores of the students were 55.45±13.58 and 9.38±4.53, respectively. Some 12.3% of the nursing students lost their friends due to the earthquake, 80.4% did not receive any earthquake training, 46% needed psychological support, 48.6% needed financial support, 49.6% needed social support, 37% had sleep problems, 72.8% experienced hopelessness, and the quality of life of 67.8% of the students was negatively affected due to the hopelessness they experienced.

CONCLUSIONS

It was found that the level of post-earthquake trauma and hopelessness of the students was moderate, and a positive and significant correlation was found between trauma and hopelessness scores.