Hidden cracks from the largest earthquake of Türkiye: secondary traumatic stress among psychosocial support teams

<b>Background:</b> Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to the PTSD-like symptoms observed among professionals working with traumatized clients.<b>Objective:</b> This study investigates the predictors of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among psychosocial support workers who provided mental health services in the aftermath of the February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye.<b>Methods:</b> Data from 117 professionals (76.9% female, median age 27) were analysed using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5; mean score = 27.73 ± 15.26), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; mean score = 63.24 ± 12.53), and a structured sociodemographic form on disaster-related experiences.<b>Results:</b> Key predictors of elevated PCL-5 scores included younger age (<i>β</i> = -0.671, <i>p</i> = .037), higher exposure to trauma survivors (<i>β</i> = 0.016, <i>p</i> < .001), and lower psychological resilience (<i>β</i> = -0.219, <i>p</i> = .027). Additionally, both awareness of a need for psychosocial support (<i>β</i> = 6.849, <i>p</i> = .009) and attending funerals (<i>β</i> = 7.733, <i>p</i> = .029) were identified as predictors of STS symptoms.<b>Conclusion:</b> These findings underscore the individual and professional characteristics that increased STS risk among mental health workers, providing crucial insights for targeted prevention strategies aimed at mitigating STS in this specialized field.