The Effect of Social Media Posts on Secondary Traumatic Stress and Mental Health of University Students After the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

This study aimed to determine the effect of social media posts and some sociodemographic characteristics on secondary traumatic stress and mental health of university students after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Türkiye. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 509 university students. Data were collected using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale in a Sample of Social Media Users (STSS-SM) and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). As a result of this study, it was determined that age, gender, duration of social media usage, traumatic experiences other than earthquakes, and the presence of psychiatric illness explain 12% of the STSS-SM, 14% of the GSA-28, and the STSS-SM explains 43% of the GSA-28. It was determined that social media posts made after the earthquake affected students' secondary traumatic stress and mental health. Mental health nurses should consider the use of social media as a risk factor for secondary traumatic stress, especially in their efforts to protect community mental health during disaster periods.