Hopelessness mediated the link between resilience and embitterment after earthquakes

What the study found: Hopelessness mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and posttraumatic embitterment symptoms (PTED, a reaction marked by feelings of disappointment, perceived injustice, and anger after trauma) among survivors of the February 6 Turkey earthquakes.
Why the authors say this matters: The authors conclude that PTED should be considered among the psychological outcomes of earthquakes, and they say the findings highlight the therapeutic potential of hope-based interventions and the importance of preventive measures for vulnerable populations in disaster-affected regions.
What the researchers tested: This was a cross-sectional online study in Malatya, a severely affected region, conducted from July 20, 2023 to January 20, 2024. Participants completed the PTED Scale, the Psychological Resilience Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and a sociodemographic form, and the data were analyzed with structural equation modeling.
What worked and what didn't: The final sample included 801 participants with a mean age of 37.82 years. PTED symptoms were reported in 48.6% of participants, and psychological resilience together with hopelessness accounted for 43.7% of the variance in embitterment. The abstract reports that hopelessness mediated the resilience-embitterment relationship.
What to keep in mind: The study was cross-sectional and used an online survey in one affected region, so the abstract does not describe limitations beyond that scope. The available summary does not provide information on causation or on how the findings would perform in other settings.

Key points

• Hopelessness mediated the link between psychological resilience and PTED symptoms.
• Nearly half of the sample (48.6%) reported PTED symptoms.
• Psychological resilience and hopelessness explained 43.7% of the variance in embitterment.
• The study surveyed 801 earthquake survivors in Malatya using online questionnaires.