Exploring the relationship between post-earthquake trauma, post-traumatic growth, and self-compassion

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Trauma Studies
• Disaster Mental Health

Background:

• Natural disasters like earthquakes can lead to significant psychological distress, including trauma.
• Post-traumatic growth is a positive psychological change experienced after adversity.
• Self-compassion, a dispositional trait, may influence psychological outcomes following traumatic events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the predictive relationship between self-compassion and its subdimensions with post-earthquake trauma.
• To investigate the association between self-compassion and post-traumatic growth in earthquake survivors.
• To identify specific self-compassion components that may buffer trauma or foster growth.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional correlational design involving 454 adult earthquake survivors in Türkiye.
• Administration of validated measures for trauma, post-traumatic growth, and self-compassion.
• Statistical analyses including Pearson correlations and hierarchical regression, controlling for age and gender.

Main Results:

• Women reported higher levels of both trauma and post-traumatic growth compared to men.
• The common humanity subdimension of self-compassion negatively predicted trauma.
• The mindfulness subdimension of self-compassion positively predicted post-traumatic growth.

Conclusions:

• Self-compassion components differentially predict trauma and post-traumatic growth.
• Common humanity may reduce psychological distress following disasters.
• Mindfulness may facilitate positive psychological adaptation and growth after traumatic events.
• Interventions targeting common humanity and mindfulness could support disaster recovery.