Intrapersonal and interpersonal predictors of posttraumatic growth following the February 6, 2023, Türkiye earthquakes.

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined intrapersonal and interpersonal predictors of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among survivors of the February 6, 2023, Türkiye (Turkey) earthquakes. Specifically, the study focused on loneliness, forms of self-criticism (inadequate self and hated self), self-reassurance, shame, and guilt as potential psychological correlates of PTG.

METHOD: A total of 300 adult earthquake survivors (61.8% women) participated in a face-to-face assessment approximately 2 years after the disaster. Participants completed self-report measures assessing PTG, loneliness, self-criticism, self-reassurance, shame, and guilt. Bayesian correlation and regression analyses were conducted to identify the most parsimonious psychological model of PTG.

RESULTS

Results indicated strong evidence for a negative association between loneliness and PTG and very strong evidence for a positive association between self-reassurance and PTG. Associations between PTG and self-critical forms, shame, and guilt were weak or inconclusive. Model comparison demonstrated that a minimal model including loneliness and self-reassurance provided substantially stronger evidential support than more complex models (BF₁₀ = 1,671.34, R² = .086). In the final model, loneliness was negatively associated with PTG (b = -0.13, 95% credible interval [-0.24, -0.02]), whereas self-reassurance was positively associated with PTG (b = 0.36, 95% credible interval [0.16, 0.56]).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that posttraumatic growth following large-scale disasters may be most closely tied to the restoration of interpersonal connectedness and the cultivation of affiliative self-regulation, with important implications for community-based and compassion-focused postdisaster mental health interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).