Coping Strategies and Their Protective Role Against Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Immediate Aftermath of the 2023 Türkiye Earthquakes: A Multicenter Primary Care Study

Abstract

We aimed to investigate factors associated with post-earthquake coping strategies and to examine the relationship between coping styles and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom levels. This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals presenting to 22 primary health centers in the Adana and Osmaniye provinces of Türkiye between 13 and 17 March 2023. Data were collected using a structured sociodemographic form, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and the Coping with Earthquake Stress Scale. The mean age of the participants (n = 434) was 38.27 ± 13.84 years, and 63.4% were female. The prevalence of probable PTSD was 32.95%. A weak negative correlation was found between PCL-5 scores and positive reappraisal scores (r = −0.192, p < 0.01), whereas no significant associations were observed between PTSD symptom scores and other coping strategies. Positive reappraisal scores were positively correlated with both religious coping (r = 0.248) and seeking social support (r = 0.316) (p < 0.01). Individuals who experienced family-related losses reported higher religious coping scores. These findings suggest that positive reappraisal may be associated with lower PTSD symptom levels in the early post-disaster period, highlighting the potential importance of adaptive cognitive coping strategies in primary care settings.