Post-traumatic growth, psychological inflexibility, and the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in adolescents affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake

During adolescence, individuals strive to adapt to biological and psychological changes and successfully establish their identities. Traumatic events negatively impact this developmental process, and adolescents may experience greater difficulty coping. Therefore, examining developmental levels and associated variables after a traumatic event may contribute to the PTG literature and inspire interventions to improve the mental health of adolescents. From this point of view, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between psychological inflexibility and PTG among high school students exposed to the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. A correlational research design was utilized to determine if there was a relationship among the level of Psychological Inflexibility, Intolerance of Uncertainty and Post-Traumatic Growth. Only individuals who were exposed to the Kahramanmaraş earthquake were included in the study. The sample consisted of 399 high school students (225 female, 174 male) aged 14-18 who experienced the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Data were collected using the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 29.0, and mediation effects were tested with Hayes' PROCESS Macro (Model 4) employing the bootstrap method. Results indicated that higher levels of psychological inflexibility were related to higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty and post-traumatic growth. Psychological inflexibility negatively predicted post-traumatic growth, and intolerance of uncertainty partially mediated this relationship. The current findings highlight the importance of interventions aimed at reducing psychological inflexibility and intolerance of uncertainty to promote post-traumatic growth among adolescents following disasters.