Bereavement and Resilience in Earthquake Affected Individuals: Serial Mediation through Psychological Distress and Hope

Natural disasters have existed as long as the world itself. Earthquakes are among the most common and destructive natural disasters. In earthquake-prone countries like Türkiye, which experienced the February 6 earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş, conducting studies to mitigate the negative psychosocial effects following such disasters is of great social importance. This study investigated the effect of bereavement on psychological resilience, as well as the mediating roles of psychological distress and hope in earthquake-affected individuals. A total of 387 participants (318 females, 82.2%; 69 males, 17.8%) with an average age of 25.6 years completed scales assessing bereavement, psychological distress, hope and resilience. Structural equation modeling revealed that psychological distress and hope fully mediated the relationship between bereavement and resilience. Specifically, bereavement increased psychological distress and reduced hope, which in turn negatively affected resilience. These findings highlight the critical role of addressing distress and fostering hope to support resilience in earthquake-affected individuals.