The Psychological Effects of Exposure to Earthquake-Related Content on Social Media: Emotional Contagion, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Self-Care

This study aims to examine the relationships between exposure to traumatic images on social media, emotional contagion, secondary traumatic stress, and self-care. The research was conducted with 447 young and adult individuals. The data collection tools included a Personal Information Form, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale for Social Media Users, the Emotional Contagion Scale, and the Mindfulness-Based Self-Care Scale. Pearson Correlation Analysis was used to examine the relationships between the variables. Regression analysis was conducted using the PROCESS v3.4 macro developed for SPSS to examine the mediating role of self-care. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between following earthquake posts and secondary traumatic stress. A significant positive relationship was found between emotional contagion and secondary traumatic stress. In contrast, a significant negative relationship was observed between two sub-dimensions of self-care skills -physical care and supportive structure- and secondary traumatic stress. It was found that the total self-care score did not mediate the relationship between emotional contagion and secondary traumatic stress. The findings indicate that traumatic content encountered on social media can have a direct and powerful impact on individuals. The limited effect of self-care suggests that individuals' coping strategies for emotional burdens on social media may require more comprehensive psychological interventions.