The impact of earthquake-related news on mental health: the case of a digital newspaper in Türkiye in the post-earthquake period

Abstract

Following the devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Türkiye on 6 February 2023, the nation engaged in discussions on seismic events widely documented by newspapers. This investigation analyses the impact of earthquake news coverage by Türkiye’s most widely-circulated newspaper on the post-disaster mental health of its readers. A thorough examination of 1314 earthquake news articles published in the newspaper after the earthquake was conducted. The article headlines were classified into four main themes, namely “Anxiety,” “Hope,” “Sadness,” and “Anger,” reflecting their emotional impact on readers. Furthermore, the news exhibited a high incidence of the term “earthquake victim” and highlighted earthquake severity and negative concepts. This study illustrates how earthquake-related news has the potential to evoke a range of emotions in readers, from anxiety to hope. The importance of media outlets following ethical standards and working together with mental health practitioners for the improvement of mental health in society cannot be overstated.

Keywords:

• Earthquake
• digital newspaper
• media
• document analysis
• mental health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

No external or intramural funding was received.