Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Development in the Aftermath of the Turkey Earthquake: Exploring the Role of Demographic Variables, Personality Traits, and Psychological Vulnerability

Data on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder level, personality traits and psychological vulnerability levels of the victims of the February 6 Great Turkey Earthquake. Background: The most common mental disorder after mass traumas such as earthquakes is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In our study, we aimed to investigate the development of PTSD in the third month after the earthquake and its association with some demographic variables, personality traits, and psychological vulnerability. Methods: 503 people who experienced the earthquake were included in the study. The Demographic Data Form, Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), Psychological Vulnerability Scale (PVS), and PTSD Checklist 5 (PCL-5) were applied to the individuals participating in the study. Results: PTSD scores were higher in women, those who witnessed someone else's injury and death, those with a previous psychiatric illness, singles, those with a low income level, and those whose homes were heavily damaged. Extraversion, emotional stability, and responsibility predict psychological vulnerability, and psychological vulnerability directly predicts PTSD. In addition, extraversion and emotional stability also indirectly predict PTSD. Conclusion: Being a woman, witnessing someone else's injury and death, having a previous psychiatric illness, being single, having a heavily damaged home, having a low income level, personality traits, and psychological vulnerability may pose a risk for the development of PTSD after an earthquake.