The relationship between nurses’ fatalistic beliefs and disaster attitudes: a cross-sectional study

Disaster preparedness among nurses is influenced not only by knowledge and professional competencies but also by psychosocial factors that shape risk perception and preparedness behaviors. Fatalistic beliefs may affect individuals’ willingness to take preventive action; however, evidence regarding their relationship with disaster attitudes among nurses remains limited. This study aimed to assess nurses’ fatalistic beliefs and disaster attitudes, examine the relationship between these constructs, and compare their scale scores according to nurses’ sociodemographic and disaster-related characteristics. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October and November 2024 among 231 nurses working at a tertiary training and research hospital in western Türkiye. Data were collected using the Nurse Information Form, the General Fatalism Scale, and the Disaster Attitude Scale through an online survey. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, Pearson’s correlation analysis, independent-samples t tests, Welch’s t test, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey’s honestly significant difference test were used to analyze the data. The mean age of the participants was 32.71 ± 7.66 years, and 75.3% were female. More than half of the nurses (54.1%) had received disaster-related training, whereas only 21.6% had read their hospital disaster plan. The mean General Fatalism Scale score was 272.53 ± 31.70, with the highest scores observed in the Destiny and Helplessness dimensions. The mean Disaster Attitude Scale score was 78.93 ± 12.10, with affective attitudes scoring highest, followed by cognitive and behavioral attitudes. A very weak but statistically significant positive correlation was found between the General Fatalism Scale and the Disaster Attitude Scale ( r = .097, p < .05). Among the fatalism dimensions, only Helplessness was significantly associated with the Cognitive dimension of disaster attitudes. Fatalistic beliefs were only weakly associated with disaster attitudes, suggesting that fatalism represents one of several psychosocial factors related to nurses’ disaster preparedness. Professional experience and personal disaster exposure were associated with specific aspects of nurses’ disaster attitudes and fatalistic beliefs. Disaster preparedness initiatives should therefore combine competency-based education and practical training with psychosocially and culturally sensitive approaches.