Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Midwifery, cilt.158, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
Objective: This study aimed to determine the levels of anxiety, mental well-being, and life satisfaction among postpartum women who directly experienced the Kahramanmaraş earthquake and to examine the interrelationships among these variables as well as their predictors. Method: This cross-sectional study includes 369 postpartum women from the Türkiye provinces of Adıyaman and Malatya, two of the four provinces most severely affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. Data were collected between November 2023 and December 2024 using the Participant Information Form, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Health Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 and the Python 3.11 programming language. As part of the analysis, in addition to descriptive statistics and correlation analyses, hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to identify earthquake-related factors influencing anxiety, mental well-being, and life satisfaction. Results: Postpartum women who experienced the earthquake had high anxiety levels and relatively low mental well-being and life satisfaction scores. Correlation analysis showed that state anxiety was negatively correlated with life satisfaction (r = -0.217, p < .001) and mental well-being (r = -0.228, p < .001). Trait anxiety was positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = 0.324, p < .001) and mental well-being (r = 0.326, p < .001). In addition, mental well-being was positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = 0.632, p < .001). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the final models explained 8.5% of the variance in state anxiety, 11.3% in trait anxiety, 7.8% in mental well-being, and 16.2% in life satisfaction. Conclusion and Recommendations: It has been observed that directly experiencing an earthquake increases anxiety levels in postpartum women, which negatively affects mental well-being and life satisfaction, thereby damaging mental health. Moreover, the repercussions of seismic events on mental well-being have been demonstrated to encompass persistent anxiety, poor mental health, and diminished life satisfaction, particularly in the context of alterations to living conditions, including property damage and relocation. The findings emphasise the critical importance of trauma-focused and comprehensive health services for postpartum women in disaster-affected areas. It is recommended that psychosocial support programs be expanded, social support networks be strengthened, and mental health screenings be systematically integrated into postpartum care processes.