Earthquake as a traumatic experience: Earthquake survivors' post-earthquake reactions, meaning-making and reconstruction processes

Abstract

This qualitative study, in which the phenomenon of “being affected by an earthquake as a traumatic experience” was examined in order to contribute to the management of risk situations that may arise in possible disasters, was conducted with a interpretive/phenomenological design. The data were obtained by interviewing adults who experienced the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş (Turkey) on February 6, 2023. A semi-structured interview questions including psychological interpretation steps was used. The data obtained from the interviews were visualized using MAXQDA software and contributed to making them more understandable for the reader. Most of the participants explained the earthquake with the metaphor of “apocalypse”. It was understood that they explained the moment of the earthquake as “humming and explosion sounds”, “death” and “collapse of the building” and showed reactions such as “being under the rubble”, “helplessness”, “shock” and “praying”. In the adaptation process after the earthquake, it was observed that they felt the “need to make sense” and resorted to “social support repertoire” to cope. This study on post-earthquake reactions emphasized the individual and social effects of the earthquake.