Psychological resilience, inflexibility, meaning in life, and religious coping as mediators between earthquake risk perception and self-generated stress among Turkish earthquake survivors

Several studies have examined the relationship between perceived earthquake risk and self-generated stress; however, limited attention has been paid to the mechanisms that explain this relationship. This study addressed this gap by testing the mediating roles of psychological resilience, psychological inflexibility, meaning in life, and positive religious coping among Turkish adults. Data were collected from 1011 participants (mean age = 28.3; SD = 10.34) across Türkiye through a paper-and-pencil survey. A mediation model was conducted to examine the indirect effects of these psychological variables. Results showed that all four variables significantly mediated the relationship between earthquake risk perception and self-generated stress. These insights may inform psychological preparedness programs and support the development of resilience-focused interventions in natural disaster contexts.