Earthquake Clinical Trial
Official title:
A Brief Group Psychosocial Intervention for Earthquake Survivors: Kahramanmaras Earthquakes
This program for adults in need of psychological support in earthquake stricken area, Kahramanmaraş, consisted of a brief four-session group psychosocial support intervention. The aim of the project was to test the effectiveness of the intervention program. Intervention program was developed by the psychotherapists, a clinical psychologist holding a PhD degree and a psychiatrist. The general theme was about the strengthening of the personal resources including both external and internal resources. The content of the intervention program is based on the relevant literature.
The 6th of February 2023 earthquakes directly affected 11 provinces of our country and were caused thousands loss of life. Trauma in individuals directly affected by the earthquake Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, anxiety and various psychological problems. These serious psychological problems affect people's functionality significantly and make daily life more difficult. According to the literature, it is seen that various psychosocial support program for earthquake survivors were applied to improve psychological well-being. The results of these interventions demonstrated the psychosocial interventions were effective to diminish psychological distress. Various organisations and communities have continued to provide psychosocial supports peculiar to the needs of individuals living in earthquake stricken areas for the past eight months after the 6th of February 2023 earthquakes. However, the size of the disaster area and the number of people affected is quite high. Thus, a culturally appropriate group of psychosocial intervention program is needed. In this context, the existing research aiming to reduce psychological distress and improve quality of life in the disaster area were examined by the researchers. A brief psychosocial group intervention was developed. This group intervention aiming to strength resources of individuals consisted of four sessions including psychoeducation of the effects of earthquakes, practicing emotion regulation strategies, mindful techniques. The researchers aimed to test the efficacy of this brief psychosocial group intervention. The researchers used a number of measurement tools including psychological distress, quality of life and resilience. ;