The study was carried out with the participation of 320 earthquake victims. The number of earthquake victims developing PTSD is 42 (13.1%). 1.5 years after the Düzce earthquake, 430 earthquake victims were interviewed and 41.9% PTSD and 28.4% GAD were observed (Kılıç and Ulusoy; 2003). It is possible to detect higher PTSD rates in earthquakes that cause great loss of life and property, such as the Düzce earthquake. In a study conducted on 1498 earthquake victims 9 months after the Van earthquake, PTSD was found to be 35.5% (Boztas et al., 2019).
The prevalence of PTSD differed significantly among occupational groups. The worsening of the economic situation in these groups and the fact that problems such as job loss after the earthquake may play a role in the development of this situation. In a study conducted with 1498 people after the Van earthquake, the prevalence of PTSD and related risk factors were tried to be determined. In the results of the study, being diagnosed with MDD, being unemployed, and having a low-income level were considered risk factors for the development of PTSD (Boztas et al., 2019). Although the relationship between gender and marital status variables and the development of PTSD does not always show a consistent relationship in the literature, some studies have shown that female gender and being married carry a higher risk. In a study conducted on university students after the Düzce earthquake, it was determined that being a woman carries a higher risk of perceiving trauma as severe (Baloğlu et al., 2005). In our study, we found that there was no statistically significant effect of gender and marital status on the development of PTSD.
Having a previous psychiatric diagnosis is a facilitating factor for both depression and PTSD. In fact, some studies have evaluated previous psychiatric diagnosis as a risk factor (Breslau et al., 1999). Increasing the dose of psychiatric drugs may be preferred as a way of coping with newly developing mental problems in individuals with a current psychiatric diagnosis or in individuals who use drugs without a diagnosis after the earthquake. The fact that the depression and anxiety scale scores were high in the same group is a finding that supports our interpretation. Having a family history of psychiatric disorder alone is a risk factor for a person to have a mental illness. In this context, the results of our study are compatible with the literature.
The prevalence of PTSD and depression was found to be higher in those who or their relatives were crushed in the earthquake and those who lost their relatives in the earthquake. In a study conducted on 320 high school students after the Van earthquake, CAPS scores were higher in those who were buried under debris and those who lost their relatives (Ediz and Gülbahçe, 2019). It has been shown in many studies that the loss of a loved one after an earthquake facilitates the development of PTSD (Livanou et al., 2002). A highly significant correlation was found between witnessing someone's death or injury in an earthquake and the development of PTSD. In a study examining the leading factors for the development of PTSD after 10 disasters at different times, witnessing someone's death or injury after the disaster was accepted as a factor that facilitates the development of PTSD (North et al., 2012).
The BDI score was found to be significantly higher in those who are unmarried, have a low economic level, are unemployed, use alcohol, have comorbidities, have attempted suicide, have a previous psychiatric diagnosis, have a history of psychiatric disorder in the family, have been crushed by the earthquake, and have lost a relative in the earthquake. We found that 20.31% of the earthquake victims in our sample had moderate depression and 4.06% had severe depression. Three years after the Marmara earthquake, in a study conducted with 769 participants, the prevalence of PTSD and MDD was reported as 40% and 18%, respectively. In a study conducted with the participation of 1355 people after the Haiti earthquake, the prevalence of PTSD and MDD was reported as 36.7% and 25.9%, respectively (Cenat and Derivois, 2014). In a study conducted after the Gölcük earthquake, data similar to our findings were obtained. It was concluded that the depression scores of the unemployed participants were significantly higher than the scores of the officer participants. Again, in the same study, it was observed that the depression levels of the participants with low income level were significantly higher than the participants with moderate income level (Baytar, 2017). It can be thought that individuals with limited financial means both have more losses during the earthquake and have poor social opportunities after the earthquake, increasing the traumatic effect of the event. In many studies, it has been determined that the risk of developing MDD is lower in married individuals than in single individuals (Işık et al., 2013). The relationship between demographic variables and depression is consistent with the literature.
The fact that an individual has experienced a mental disorder before the traumatic event has been shown in some studies in the literature as a risk factor for PTSD and MDD (Breslau et al., 1999). In our study, the BDI score was significantly higher in those who had financial loss after the earthquake and those who had severe damage to their home after the earthquake. In a study conducted with 1060 people one year after the Marmara earthquake, it was shown that the development of PTSD in earthquake victims is closely related to factors such as damage at home and loss of relatives (Başoğlu et al., 2004). The BDI score was found to be significantly higher in those who stayed in the prefabricated settlement after the earthquake, those who benefited from social support, and those who had a traumatic experience related to the earthquake. Stress factors such as staying in a narrow area and away from the city center, being away from family and usual social environment may have paved the way for the development of depressive symptoms. Although the importance of social support is overemphasized, studies have had difficulties in defining this concept functionally, and therefore social support has not always been seen as a reliable predictor for PTSD and depression (Başoğlu et al., 2004). In our study, it can be thought that individuals who do not need social and psychiatric support are less exposed to the negative effects of the earthquake and therefore seek less support. Again, since 70.3% (n = 225) of the individuals included in the study have a moderate economic level, it can be thought that the need for social support is less.
Moderate GAD was detected in 15.94% of the participants in our study group, and severe GAD in 9.38%. BAI scores were found to be significantly higher in patients with comorbidities, suicide attempts, previous psychiatric diagnoses and family psychiatric diagnoses, those who received psychological support after the earthquake, and those who had a traumatic experience related to the earthquake. In the study carried out with 198 participants 14 months after the earthquake in Nepal, 20% of the earthquake victims had significant anxiety symptoms (Thapa et al., 2018). In a study conducted with 267 people who participated in search and rescue efforts in the earthquake after the Pakistan earthquake, 20% of the participants had significantly higher scores on the scales used for the diagnosis of GAD (Ehring et al., 2011). The rates we found in our study are consistent with those found in similar studies. Anxiety scores were significantly higher in women, those with low economic status and those who were not working. In a study conducted by interviewing 2080 people after the earthquake in the city of Wenchuan; it has been determined that female gender and poor economic status are risk factors for the development of anxiety (Tang et al., 2018). After the 2010 earthquake in Kovancılar, Elazig, the anxiety levels of women were found to be significantly higher in a study conducted to measure the level of anxiety on 101 earthquake victims (Bilici et al., 2013). In a study conducted after the Düzce earthquake, it was determined that women developed psychopathology at a higher rate than men (Aksaray et al., 2006).
Those who felt the earthquake severely or very severely had a significantly higher BAI score than those who felt the earthquake mildly or moderately. Experiencing the earthquake with greater intensity may increase the risk of developing anxiety (Ayaksız, 1999). Since studies on this subject are limited in the literature, it can be considered as a variable that needs investigation. In our study, the existence of past traumatic experiences was examined as earthquake-related and others. According to our results, it is seen that only earthquake-related traumatic experiences are a factor that increases anxiety.
Depression and anxiety scores were found to be significantly higher in those with PTSD. No significant correlation was found between the number of non-earthquake traumatic experiences and PTSD. In the study conducted after the 1988 Armenia earthquake, it was seen that depressive disorder developed at a rate of 52%, and it was found that PTSD accompanied 70% of these people (Armenian et al., 2000). In a study investigating the anxiety, depression and PTSD levels of those who experienced the earthquake years after the Gölcük earthquake, it was seen that individuals with high scores in the scales filled in for PTSD had high scores in depression and anxiety (Baytar, 2017).