Resilience Training for University Students After the Earthquakes

NCT07262684 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 424K083
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 32
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Earthquakes can have strong emotional effects on people, especially large disasters such as the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on February 6, 2023. The anniversaries of such events can be difficult times when fear, anxiety, and memories of loss may return. This study aims to increase the psychological resilience and psychological well-being of university students who are beginning their first year. The target group of this study is students in the foreign language preparatory program, whether they have personally experienced the earthquake or not. The study will examine the effects of a six-week workshop program designed for these students. The study includes three measurement points: a pre-test, a post-test, and a follow-up test. All students will be invited to complete the initial screening, which will assess their resilience and psychological well-being levels. Students who meet the eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (18 students) or the control group (18 students). Students in the intervention group will participate in the Psychological Resilience Workshop, which takes place once a week for six weeks and lasts about 60-90 minutes per session. The workshop combines a cognitive-behavioral approach with creative emotional expression activities. During the sessions, students will work on understanding themselves, recognizing difficult emotions, identifying their sources of support, and strengthening their psychological resilience. Activities include drawing, storytelling, creative exercises, and group games. Students in the control group will not receive an intervention but will be provided with information about psychological support services they can access if needed. The workshop is expected to increase students' psychological resilience and psychological well-being in both the short term and the long term. The results of this study may help develop a practical, sustainable, low-cost mental health support program that can be used with university students.

Conditions

Psychological Well-being; Psychological Resilience

Keywords

psychological resilience; psychogical well-being; Earthquake; university students

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale - Short Form

  The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was developed by Connor and Davidson (2003) to assess individuals' psychological resilience following adverse life events. The original scale consists of 25 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not true at all) to 4 (true nearly all the time). Psychometric evaluations demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.89 (Connor \& Davidson, 2003). Short-form versions were later developed based on factor analytic studies. The Turkish adaptation and psychometric assessment of the short form were conducted by Kaya and Odacı (2021). Higher scores indicate higher levels of psychological resilience. The scale is self-administered and takes approximately five minutes to complete. In the present study, the scale was administered at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up.

  pretest(around the period after the anniversary of the earthquake), posttest (after workshop), follow test (after four week)

• Psychological Well-Being Scale

  The Psychological Well-Being Scale was developed by Diener and colleagues (Diener et al., 1985, 2010) and adapted into Turkish by Telef (2013). The scale is used to evaluate individuals' socio-psychological well-being. It consists of 8 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), yielding a total score between 8 and 56. All items are positively worded. As the scale does not include sub-dimensions, higher scores indicate that individuals possess greater psychological resources, such as positive relationships, a sense of competence, and a meaningful and purposeful life. Psychometric studies have demonstrated that the scale is valid and reliable for use with university students in Türkiye (SRMR = 0.04, RMSEA = 0.08, GFI = 0.96, RFI = 0.92, NFI = 0.94, CFI = 0.95, IFI = 0.95). The scale is self-administered and requires approximately five minutes to complete.

  pretest(around the period after the anniversary of the earthquake), posttest (after workshop), follow test (after four week)

Study Arms (2)

İntervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

A six-session program was implemented with this group. The program was delivered face-to-face in a group format.

Behavioral: Psychological Resilience Workshops

control group

NO INTERVENTION

control: At the time the intervention group completed the program, this group was administered the post-test and follow-up test. No intervention was provided; however, participants were informed at the beginning and end of the study about available psychological support services if needed.

Interventions

Psychological Resilience Workshops BEHAVIORAL

Psychological Resilience Workshops are designed as a comprehensive group program aimed at strengthening university students' levels of psychological resilience and well-being. Grounded in the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Theory, the program is enriched with expressive arts techniques that support emotional awareness and self-expression. Over the course of six weeks, participants engage in activities that foster self-awareness, self-esteem, social support, and flexibility skills, helping them explore and enhance their own psychological resilience. Drawing on research findings emphasizing the importance of self-esteem, well-being, and sense of belonging among university students, the Psychological Resilience Workshops are structured to directly promote these areas.

İntervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being over 18 years of age and not having a legal guardian
• Attending at least 80% of the workshop sessions
• Having sufficient reading ability and physical capacity to complete the data collection form independently -

You may not qualify if:

• Receiving professional psychological support that could affect resilience or well-being during the data collection period
• Being officially enrolled in the academic term but not actively attending in-person education

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ege University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Ege University

Izmir, 35100, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Emel Öztürk Turgut, PhD

  Ege University

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Researcher

Model Details: The study is a controlled, single-blind, randomized, experimental follow-up study.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 23, 2025
• First Posted: December 4, 2025
• Study Start: February 10, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 30, 2025
• Study Completion: August 30, 2025
• Last Updated: December 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: ANALYTIC CODE

Locations

TU (1)