Disaster Awareness and Attitude with a Focus on Social Work: Are We Ready?

Disasters, both natural and man-made, occur unexpectedly and can profoundly impact communities based on their nature, origins, and resulting damage. Disasters affect public health. Enhancing global communication networks, conducting disaster awareness studies, and developing disaster prevention and warning systems are essential for combating disasters. The competency and knowledge of professionals involved in disaster management are crucial, with social workers playing a critical role in both combating and responding to such crises. Integrating multidimensional disaster awareness into undergraduate education is a key strategy within Türkiye's disaster prevention policies. This study assessed the disaster awareness and attitudes of senior social work students in Ankara, engaging 300 undergraduate participants. The findings indicated that female students exhibited greater disaster awareness, and that prior disaster experiences positively influenced both awareness levels and the willingness to join crisis intervention teams. Participation in first aid training significantly enhanced disaster-related attitudes, with those who experienced loss in disasters reporting higher cognitive, affective, and behavioral scores than those who did not. Furthermore, training in psychosocial support positively impacted disaster awareness. The results underscore the need to refine undergraduate social work education to align with national disaster policies. The study is expected to contribute to the social work literature both nationally and internationally.