A Person-Centered Approach to Adaptation after Disasters: Profiles of Trauma, Resilience, and Cognitive Schemas among Turkish Earthquake Survivors

Individuals respond differently to disasters depending on personal and contextual factors. While the structural consequences of earthquakes are well documented, cognitive and emotional adjustment processes following large-scale disasters remain comparatively underexplored, particularly in non-Western disaster-affected contexts.This study examined psychological (trauma symptoms, resilience) and cognitive (intolerance of uncertainty, world assumptions) responses among 446 survivors of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes in Türkiye. Latent Profile Analysis identified adaptation profiles, and multinomial logistic regression tested demographic (gender, SES) and disaster-related predictors (bereavement, injury). Four profiles emerged: (1) Severe Trauma with Distorted Worldview (15%); (2) Minimal Trauma with Positive World Assumptions (25%); (3) Moderate Trauma with Fragile World Assumptions (38%); and (4) Minimal Trauma with Guarded Worldview (22%). Profile membership was predicted by gender, SES, bereavement, mental health, and injury. Findings underscore diverse adaptation patterns and the central role of cognition in recovery. Tailored interventions should address both resilience and cognitive processes in high-risk, underrepresented regions.