Psychological Distress After The 2023 Earthquakes in Temporary Housing in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye
Abstract
Background: Evidence on mental health in adults living in post-earthquake temporary housing remains limited, although these settings concentrate social vulnerability and chronic health needs. We assessed psychological distress and its determinants among adults living in container settlements in Kahramanmaras, Türkiye, after the February 2023 earthquakes.
Methods: We conducted a field-based cross-sectional study among 102 adults living in temporary housing settlements. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a sociodemographic questionnaire, K6 and SF-12 Scale, items on sleep problems, appetite changes, depressed mood, restlessness, psychiatric help-seeking, and chronic disease. Severe psychological distress was defined as K6≥13. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used.
Results: Overall, 43.1% of participants had severe psychological distress. In the model (n = 102), older age was associated with lower odds of severe distress (OR per year 0.95; 95%CI 0.91-0.99). Compared with high-school education or above, distress was more likely among those with primary school or less (OR 3.68; 95%CI 0.97-13.96) and among those with middle-school education (OR 6.68; 95%CI 1.19-37.39). Chronic disease (OR 3.99; 95%CI 1.18-13.45), sleep difficulty (OR 6.05; 95%CI 1.78-20.52) and prior psychiatric consultation (OR 3.57; 95%CI 1.25-10.13) were also independently associated with severe distress (Omnibus p < 0.001 Nagelkerke R²=0.436 Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.690).
Conclusions: Psychological distress was highly prevalent in adults living in post-disaster temporary housing. Lower education, chronic disease, sleep problems and prior psychiatric vulnerability identified subgroups at markedly elevated risk. Post-disaster public health responses should integrate mental health screening with chronic disease follow-up and targeted psychosocial support in temporary settlements.
Key messages: • Severe psychological distress is highly prevalent (43.1%) in post-earthquake temporary housing, signaling a critical need for targeted mental health interventions in vulnerable settings.
• Low education, chronic disease, and sleep problems are key determinants of distress, requiring integrated health strategies that combine mental health support with chronic disease follow-up.
Related
- Secondary traumatic stress and psychological distress among responders to the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Psychological resilience and media-based indirect trauma: evidence from the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes
- Psychological impact and resilience among healthcare workers following the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes: systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Related Factors Among Healthcare Workers in the Third Year After Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes
- A qualitative SWOT analysis of hospital medical service managers’ experiences during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes
BibTeX
@article{tiryaki2026psychological,
title = {{Psychological Distress After The 2023 Earthquakes in Temporary Housing in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye}},
author = {M Tiryaki and KB Mumcuoğlu and M Gökbönü and İ Ekmekci and B Küçük Biçer},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.295},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.295},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Psychological Distress After The 2023 Earthquakes in Temporary Housing in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye
AU - M Tiryaki
AU - KB Mumcuoğlu
AU - M Gökbönü
AU - İ Ekmekci
AU - B Küçük Biçer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.295
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.295
AB - Background: Evidence on mental health in adults living in post-earthquake temporary housing remains limited, although these settings concentrate social vulnerability and chronic health needs. We assessed psychological distress and its determinants among adults living in container settlements in Kahramanmaras, Türkiye, after the February 2023 earthquakes. Methods: We conducted a field-based cross-sectional study among 102 adults living in temporary housing settlements. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a sociodemographic questionnaire, K6 and SF-12 Scale, items on sleep problems, appetite changes, depressed mood, restlessness, psychiatric help-seeking, and chronic disease. Severe psychological distress was defined as K6≥13. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used. Results: Overall, 43.1% of participants had severe psychological distress. In the model (n = 102), older age was associated with lower odds of severe distress (OR per year 0.95; 95%CI 0.91-0.99). Compared with high-school education or above, distress was more likely among those with primary school or less (OR 3.68; 95%CI 0.97-13.96) and among those with middle-school education (OR 6.68; 95%CI 1.19-37.39). Chronic disease (OR 3.99; 95%CI 1.18-13.45), sleep difficulty (OR 6.05; 95%CI 1.78-20.52) and prior psychiatric consultation (OR 3.57; 95%CI 1.25-10.13) were also independently associated with severe distress (Omnibus p < 0.001 Nagelkerke R²=0.436 Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.690). Conclusions: Psychological distress was highly prevalent in adults living in post-disaster temporary housing. Lower education, chronic disease, sleep problems and prior psychiatric vulnerability identified subgroups at markedly elevated risk. Post-disaster public health responses should integrate mental health screening with chronic disease follow-up and targeted psychosocial support in temporary settlements. Key messages: • Severe psychological distress is highly prevalent (43.1%) in post-earthquake temporary housing, signaling a critical need for targeted mental health interventions in vulnerable settings. • Low education, chronic disease, and sleep problems are key determinants of distress, requiring integrated health strategies that combine mental health support with chronic disease follow-up.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -