Spiritual Meaning Making and Trauma Recovery: Evaluation of a Psycho-social Intervention for Earthquake Survivors in Turkey

KIZILGEÇİT M., Okan N., Demir Y., Çinici M., TEMİZ Y. E., Toprak F. B., ...Daha Fazla

Journal of Religion and Health, cilt.64, sa.5, ss.4147-4168, 2025 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 64 Sayı: 5
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10943-024-02183-5
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Religion and Health
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, ATLA Religion Database, CINAHL, Index Islamicus, Psycinfo
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.4147-4168
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Earthquake victims, Meaning focussed healing, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Psycho-social support, Spiritually oriented logotherapy
  • İnönü Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study sets out to develop a psycho-social model for assessing the effectiveness of spiritually oriented logotherapy for earthquake victims with PTSD following the 6 February 2023, Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Turkey. The findings of this study will undoubtedly contribute to the development of post-disaster spiritual support services. We developed and implemented a six-week "Psycho-Social Training Programme through Spiritually Oriented Meaning" in the cities of Malatya, Elazığ and Kahramanmaraş, which were significantly affected by the earthquake. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) design was used, with participants randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted to evaluate the programme’s impact. The findings were clear: the programme significantly reduced PTSD symptoms (p <.05), proving the effectiveness of a meaning-oriented approach in the survivors’ healing process. Additionally, the programme made a positive contribution to spiritual support services and provided a model to meet post-disaster psychological needs. This programme demonstrated its potential as an effective method for addressing PTSD and enhancing spiritual recovery in earthquake survivors.