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The Investigation of Quality of Life and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Levels of Midwifery Students Experiencing an Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2025

Emine Yıldırım*
Affiliation:
Midwifery Department, Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Osmaniye, Türkiye
Neriman Güdücü
Affiliation:
Midwifery Department, Kırklareli University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kırklareli, Türkiye.
*
Corresponding author: Emine Yıldırım; Email: eminekucukyildirim@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives

The knowledge of students’ quality of life and post-traumatic stress disorder levels, investigation of the relationship between them, and taking measures are essential in terms of guiding the necessary interventions. This study was conducted to determine the quality of life and post-traumatic stress disorder levels of midwifery students experiencing an earthquake.

Methods

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 363 midwifery students who had experienced the Kahramanmaras, Türkiye earthquake. Data were obtained using a Descriptive Information Form, the PTSD-Brief Scale, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF).

Results

The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder in the sample studied (n = 363), which consisted of midwifery students who would work in the field of health, was 21.5% 2 months after the earthquake. The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that factors predicting post-traumatic stress disorder following the earthquake were quality of life score related to physical and environmental domains, damage status of the house, presence of family history of depression, and smoking status.

Conclusions

This study, which was conducted 2 months following the earthquakes, showed that living spaces had an impact on the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Information

Type
Original Research
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc
Figure 0

Table 1. Distribution of students’ basic characteristics and earthquake-related data

Figure 1

Table 2. Comparison of sociodemographic characteristics and earthquake-related data, WHOOL Scale Sub-Dimension Scores and PTSD total score

Figure 2

Table 3. Relationship between PTSD total score and WHOOL sub-dimensions

Figure 3

Table 4. Factors affecting the PTSD total score