Explosions in Ankara: Post-Traumatic Stress Reactions of University Students to Terrorism
Özet
This study by Çağay Dürü and Selmin Erdi Gök investigates the post-traumatic stress reactions (PTSR) and alterations in daily life routines among 180 undergraduate university students in Ankara following three consecutive terrorist bombings in 2015 and 2016. Utilizing a sample evaluated across two data collection waves (May and November 2016), the authors examined various pre-trauma, peri-trauma, and post-trauma risk factors using standardized measures such as the Post-Traumatic Diagnostic Scale, Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire, and Life Changes Inventory. Results indicated that 73.3% of participants had experienced prior lifetime trauma, and 92% reported feeling unsafe regarding future potential attacks. Significantly, avoidance symptoms were more pronounced than arousal or re-experiencing symptoms, providing empirical support for conceptualizing psychological reactions to ongoing political violence through the Continuous Traumatic Stress (CTS) framework rather than standard single-event PTSD models. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that prior traumatic experiences, peritraumatic dissociation, and the time elapsed since the attacks were significant predictors of both PTSR severity and daily life disruptions. Conversely, gender, physical proximity to the explosion sites, coping styles, and perceived social support did not significantly predict stress reactions. Overall, while psychological symptoms and daily life disruptions significantly decreased over time, behavioral avoidance remained a prominent reality-based adaptation to the ongoing threat environment.
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