Psychological Assessment of Health Care Workers in the Aftermath of the February 2023 Earthquakes in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to examine the psychological and physical effects experienced by health care workers (HCWs) participating in the response to the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and to identify any associated factors.

METHODS

An online survey was used to collect data from HCWs on duty in earthquake-stricken areas. The following assessment tools were utilized: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and Short Form-12.

RESULTS

A total of 175 HCWs with a mean age of 37.27 years participated in the study. Of these, 39.4% suffered from PTSD, 30.3% experienced depression, and 31.4% experienced anxiety. Female gender, loss of significant others, and previous psychiatric treatment were found to be associated with worse mental health. Nurses tended to have higher levels of PTSD than the medical doctors; the medical doctors had significantly lower scores on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory compared with the nurses and the other HCWs and lower mental component summary scores on the Short Form-12 compared with the other HCWs. Meeting basic needs and subjective evaluation of teamwork were also linked to mental health. The study also found that marital status, age, and length of time spent in earthquake-stricken areas were associated with scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

CONCLUSIONS

After the earthquake in Turkey, HCWs experienced a significant amount of various adverse mental health outcomes related to certain demographic variables such as gender, profession, previous psychiatric treatment, loss of relatives, and evaluation of living conditions and teamwork. Since HCWs play an essential role in reducing the harmful effects of disasters, recognizing groups at risk and planning tailored interventions may help prevent mental health issues.