Journals / Ege Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Dergisi / 2025 / Cilt: 41 Sayı: 3

The Effect of Rumination and Guilt on Secondary Traumatic Stress Following Mass Disappearances

Toplu Kayıpların Ardından Ruminasyon ve Suçluluk Duygusunun İkincil Travmatik Stres Üzerindeki Etkisi

Sevgi Köroğlu(SAKARYA ÜNİVERSİTESİ, SAKARYA SAĞLIK YÜKSEKOKULU, HEMŞİRELİK BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0002-8060-9216
Gülgün Durat(SAKARYA ÜNİVERSİTESİ, SAKARYA SAĞLIK YÜKSEKOKULU, HEMŞİRELİK BÖLÜMÜ)0000-0002-9889-3622
Pages
575–583
Publication Date
2025-12-25
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

It was found that participants who were affected by at least one earthquake in the past reported that they or their loved ones were affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, had a psychiatric diagnosis, spent more time on social media showed higher levels of secondary traumatic stress.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Objective: An earthquake is a large-scale disaster that causes physical damage and loss of life, and post-traumatic stress disorder is frequently observed after an earthquake.
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Key Findings & Data:Methods: This cross-sectional study included 152 volunteers aged 18 years and over who could be reached via the Internet between 20 April and 5 May 2023 after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake.
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Conclusion & Impact:It was found that participants who were affected by at least one earthquake in the past reported that they or their loved ones were affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, had a psychiatric diagnosis, spent more time on social media showed higher levels of secondary traumatic stress.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2023 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Travma sonrası stres bozuklukları · suç · depremler

Abstract

Objective: An earthquake is a large-scale disaster that causes physical damage and loss of life, and post-traumatic stress disorder is frequently observed after an earthquake. Although individuals do not directly experience the traumatic event, individuals exposed to traumatic news content through social media reveal secondary traumatic stress. Secondary traumatic stress leads to severe stress, anxiety, anger, depression, and other emotional disorders and negatively affects the general well-being of individuals who are not directly affected by the disaster. This study aims to examine ruminative thinking and guilt, which are thought to contribute to secondary traumatic stress. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 152 volunteers aged 18 years and over who could be reached via the Internet between 20 April and 5 May 2023 after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. The power analysis of the study was performed with G*POWER 3.1.9.7 (Power analysis statistical software). When the effect size was 0.50 and alpha was 0.05, the power of the sample size was found to be 0.92. Data collection tools consisted of Personal Information Form, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale for Social Media Users, Trait Shame and Guilt Scale, and Short Form Rumination Scale. Results: 17.8% (n=27) of the participants had a psychiatric diagnosis and 47.4% had experienced at least one earthquake in the past. 57.2% of the sample reported that they or their loved ones were affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. It was found that participants who were affected by at least one earthquake in the past reported that they or their loved ones were affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, had a psychiatric diagnosis, spent more time on social media showed higher levels of secondary traumatic stress. Even after controlling for covariates (past earthquake trauma, being affected by the earthquake, psychiatric diagnosis, time spent on social media), ruminative thinking and guilt predicted secondary traumatic stress. Conclusion: Exploring the pathway from social media use to mental health guides the development of trauma prevention and intervention strategies. Strategies should be developed to limit the consumption of social media content and learn emotion regulation methods to reduce negative emotions in those exposed to vicarious trauma through social media.

Özet

Amaç: Deprem, fiziksel hasara ve can kaybına yol açan büyük ölçekli bir felakettir ve deprem sonrası travma sonrası stres bozukluğu sıklıkla görülmektedir. Travmatik olayı doğrudan deneyimlemese de sosyal medya aracılığıyla travmatik haber içeriklerine maruz kalan bireyler, ikincil travmatik stresi açığa çıkarmaktadır. İkincil travmatik stres, şiddetli stres, kaygı, öfke, depresyon ve diğer duygusal bozukluklara yol açarak afetten doğrudan etkilenmeyen bireylerin genel iyilik halini olumsuz etkilemektedir. Bu çalışma, ikincil travmatik strese katkıda bulunduğu düşünülen ruminatif düşünce ve suçluluğun incelenmesini amaçlamaktadır. Yöntem: Kesitsel tipteki bu çalışmaya Kahramanmaraş depremi sonrası 20 Nisan-20 Haziran 2023 tarihleri arasında internet üzerinden ulaşılabilen 18 yaş ve üzeri 152 gönüllü dahil edilmiştir. Araştırmanın güç analizi G*POWER 3.1.9.7 (Güç analizi istatistik yazılımı) ile yapılmıştır. Etki büyüklüğü 0,50 ve alfa 0,05 olduğunda örneklem büyüklüğünün gücü 0,92 olarak bulunmuştur. Veri toplama araçları, Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Sosyal Medya Kullanıcıları İçin İkincil Travmatik Stres Ölçeği, Sürekli Utanç ve Suçluluk Ölçeği ve Kısa Form-Ruminasyon Ölçeğinden oluşmaktadır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların % 17.8'i (n=27) psikiyatrik tanı almıştır ve % 47.4'ü geçmişte en az bir deprem geçirmiştir. Örneklemin % 57.2'si Kahramanmaraş merkezli depremden kendilerinin veya sevdiklerinin etkilendiğini bildirmiştir. Geçmişinde en az bir depremden etkilenen, Kahramanmaraş merkezli depremde sevdiği birinin veya kendisinin etkilendiğini bildiren, psikiyatrik tanısı olan ve sosyal medyada geçirdiği süre fazla olan katılımcıların daha yüksek düzeyde ikincil travmatik stres gösterdiği bulunmuştur. Ortak değişkenler kontrol edildikten (geçmiş deprem travması, depremden etkilenme, psikiyatrik tanı, sosyal medyada geçirilen süre) sonra bile ruminatif düşünce ve suçluluğun, ikincil travmatik stresi yordadığını göstermiştir. Sonuç: Sosyal medya kullanımından ruh sağlığına giden yolu keşfedilmesi, travma önleme ve müdahale stratejilerinin geliştirilmesinde rehberlik sağlamaktadır. Sosyal medya aracılığıyla dolaylı travmaya maruz kalanlarda sosyal medya içeriklerinin tüketiminin sınırlandırılması ve olumsuz duyguların azaltılması için duygu düzenleme yöntemlerinin öğrenilmesi için stratejiler geliştirilmelidir.

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Cite This Article

Köroğlu, S., Durat, G. (2025). The Effect of Rumination and Guilt on Secondary Traumatic Stress Following Mass Disappearances. Ege Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 41 Sayı: 3, 575–583. https://doi.org/10.53490/egehemsire.1341479

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