The effects of earthquakes on midwifery students' fear of death, anxiety and sense of life meaning

Earthquakes cause changes in people's emotions and thoughts related to life and death. Therefore, after experiencing this destructive natural disaster, individuals need to be aware of their feelings and thoughts regarding life and death. The aim of this research is to determine an earthquake in the Pazarc & imath;k district of Kahramanmara & scedil; in Turkey, which also affected neighboring provinces, on the levels fear of death, anxiety and the perception of life's meaning among midwifery students. A total of 315 students participated voluntarily in this study. Data for the research were collected using the Death Anxiety Scale and the Meaning in Life Scale. The students' mean score on the "Presence of Meaning" subscale was 26.10 +/- 5.96, "Search for Meaning" subscale was 25.53 +/- 6.68 and the Death Anxiety Scale was 10.48 +/- 3.05. Students who were in the earthquake-stricken area during the event reported a reduced current sense of meaning in their lives, and those who had previously experienced an earthquake exhibited higher levels of death anxiety. We recommend the establishment of psychological support units in schools to assist students undergoing such experiences, and encourage those in need to avail themselves of these resources.