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. 2025 Dec;16(1):2510155.
doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2510155. Epub 2025 Jun 17.

Hidden cracks from the largest earthquake of Türkiye: secondary traumatic stress among psychosocial support teams

Ezgi Sisman  1 , Cem Cerit  1 , Aslıhan Polat  1   2   3
Affiliations

Hidden cracks from the largest earthquake of Türkiye: secondary traumatic stress among psychosocial support teams

Ezgi Sisman et al. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Background: Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to the PTSD-like symptoms observed among professionals working with traumatized clients.Objective: This study investigates the predictors of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among psychosocial support workers who provided mental health services in the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye.Methods: Data from 117 professionals (76.9% female, median age 27) were analysed using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5; mean score = 27.73 ± 15.26), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; mean score = 63.24 ± 12.53), and a structured sociodemographic form on disaster-related experiences.Results: Key predictors of elevated PCL-5 scores included younger age (β = -0.671, p = .037), higher exposure to trauma survivors (β = 0.016, p < .001), and lower psychological resilience (β = -0.219, p = .027). Additionally, both awareness of a need for psychosocial support (β = 6.849, p = .009) and attending funerals (β = 7.733, p = .029) were identified as predictors of STS symptoms.Conclusion: These findings underscore the individual and professional characteristics that increased STS risk among mental health workers, providing crucial insights for targeted prevention strategies aimed at mitigating STS in this specialized field.

Antecedentes: El estrés traumático secundario (ETS) se refiere a los síntomas similares al TEPT observados en profesionales que trabajan con pacientes traumatizados.

Objetivo: Este estudio investiga los predictores del estrés traumático secundario (ETS) en los profesionales de apoyo psicosocial que brindaron servicios de salud mental tras los terremotos de febrero de 2023 en Turquía.

Métodos: Se analizaron datos de 117 profesionales (76.9% mujeres, mediana de edad: 27 años) utilizando la Lista de Verificación del Trastorno por Estrés Postraumático (PCL-5; puntuación media = 27.73 ± 15.26), la Escala de Resiliencia de Connor-Davidson (CD-RISC; puntuación media = 63.24 ± 12.53) y un formulario sociodemográfico estructurado sobre las experiencias relacionadas con desastres.

Resultados: Los predictores claves de puntuaciones elevadas en la PCL-5 incluyeron una edad más joven (β = −0.671, p = .037), una mayor exposición a sobrevivientes de traumas (β = 0.016, p < .001), y una menor resiliencia psicológica (β = −0.219, p = .027). Además, tanto la conciencia de la necesidad de apoyo psicosocial (β = 6.849, p = .009) como la asistencia a funerales (β = 7.733, p = .029) se identificaron como predictores de síntomas de ETS.

Conclusión: Estos hallazgos subrayan las características individuales y profesionales que aumentaron el riesgo de ETS entre los trabajadores de salud mental, lo que proporciona información crucial para estrategias de prevención dirigidas a mitigar el ETS en este campo especializado.

Keywords: Estrés traumático secundario; Secondary traumatic stress; apoyo psicosocial; disaster response; earthquake; posttraumatic stress disorder; psychological resilience; psychosocial support; resiliencia psicológica; respuesta a desastres; terremoto; trastorno de estrés postraumático.

Plain language summary

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to PTSD-like symptoms observed in mental health professionals as a result of indirect exposure to their clients’ traumatic experiences. Studies focusing on STS in professionals deployed to disaster zones are notably scarce.Key predictors of STS included younger age, greater exposure to trauma survivors, lower psychological resilience, attending funeral and recognizing the need for psychosocial support.Female professionals, single individuals, and those witnessing disaster-related traumatic events, such as funerals and rescue operations, reported significantly higher STS symptoms.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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