Effects of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress on Disaster Preparedness: Evidence from the February 6 Türkiye Earthquakes

Abstract

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes pose a risk to the psychological well-being of individuals. Disaster preparedness is a crucial factor that plays a fundamental role in reducing loss and destruction in any disaster situation. It is of great importance to be prepared for these natural events that have the potential to harm mental health. The aims of the current study are to reveal whether the depression symptom, anxiety symptom, stress, and disaster preparedness levels of individuals differ according to demographic characteristics, to clarify the current status of depression symptom, anxiety symptom, stress and disaster preparedness levels in adults who have been directly or indirectly exposed to the last dual earthquake in Türkiye, and to identify that whether depression symptom, anxiety symptom and stress predict disaster preparedness. Data were collected from 418 individuals. The findings revealed that the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants showed significant differences in the depression symptom, anxiety symptom, and stress levels of the individuals. The main factors affecting disaster preparedness were gender, age, education level, marital status, and experiencing the February 6 earthquakes. Individuals directly exposed to dual earthquakes reported higher depression symptom, anxiety symptom and stress levels and lower disaster preparedness levels than indirectly exposed individuals. Post-earthquake depression symptoms and stress predicted individuals' ongoing disaster preparedness. In the light of these results, mental health professionals, psychologists, psychological counselors, sociologists, and authorities should focus on this vulnerable population and implement practices that improve mental health and increase preparedness for disasters.