Post-earthquake spiritual well-being and depression levels of postpartum women in Turkey

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the spiritual well-being and depression levels of postpartum women following the two major earthquakes that occurred in 2023 with the epicenter Kahramanmara & scedil; in Turkey. This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with the participation of 345 postpartum women admitted to the maternity ward of a medical faculty hospital in the provincial center of Kahramanmara & scedil; in Turkey between June and September 2023. Data were collected using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Independent-samples t-tests, Pearson's correlation tests, and simple linear regression analysis were used in the analyses. It was determined that 48.7% of the participants were at risk of postpartum depression. The participants whose relatives were lost/injured in the earthquakes and those who experienced financial losses had significantly lower total SWBS scores and significantly higher total EPDS scores (p < 0.05). A negative and statistically significant relationship was found between the total SWBS and total EPDS scores of the participants (p < 0.001). In this study, it was determined that after the Kahramanmara & scedil; earthquakes in 2023, almost one in every two postpartum women was at risk of depression, and their earthquake experience affected their mental health and spiritual well-being negatively. Moreover, as the spiritual well-being of the postpartum women increased, their risk of postpartum depression decreased.