JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes devastated Malatya province and created an acute collective trauma context in which psychosocial recovery remains a pressing public health priority. Despite growing recognition that cultural resources may buffer against disaster-related psychological deterioration, empirical evidence from non-Western, earthquake-affected populations remains sparse — and age-differentiated patterns of cultural meaning-making in such contexts are largely unexplored. Whether intangible cultural heritage functions as a similarly protective resource across cohorts with divergent socialization histories carries direct implications for the design of population-level psychosocial interventions in earthquake-affected communities.

Objective:

This cross-sectional study examined the associations between attitudes toward intangible cultural heritage, sense of belonging, and life satisfaction among earthquake-affected adults in Malatya, Türkiye, and tested whether these associations and the underlying constructs differed between young adults (aged 18–30) and older adults (aged 65 and above).

Methods:

A total of 404 adults directly affected by the February 6, 2023 earthquakes and residing in Malatya province were recruited through purposive sampling (young adults: n=203; older adults: n=201). Life satisfaction was assessed using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), sense of belonging with the General Belongingness Scale (GBS), and cultural heritage attitudes with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Attitude Scale (ICHAS). Measurement comparability across age groups was evaluated via Tucker's congruence coefficients (φ). Group differences were examined with Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests; associations among constructs were assessed with Spearman correlations; and predictors of life satisfaction were identified through hierarchical multiple regression. Effect sizes and bootstrap-corrected 95% confidence intervals were reported throughout.

Results:

Cultural heritage attitudes (β=.125, 95% CI 0.06–0.19) and sense of belonging (β=.261, 95% CI 0.19–0.33) were significant independent predictors of life satisfaction across the sample (model R²=.420, adjusted R²=.412). No significant age-group differences were detected in cultural heritage attitudes (U=19,567.50, p=.477, r=.04) or sense of belonging (U=18,648.50, p=.132, r=.08). Life satisfaction was significantly lower among older adults than young adults (U=10,570.50, Z=−8.397, p<.001, r=.42). Educational attainment and income level were the primary sociodemographic predictors of life satisfaction. A Simpson's paradox was identified in the household size data: the aggregate-level association between household size and life satisfaction was reversed within each age group when examined separately, with larger households associated with reduced belonging and life satisfaction among young adults only.

Conclusions:

Attitudes toward intangible cultural heritage and sense of belonging constitute robust, age-stable predictors of post-disaster well-being, suggesting that these psychosocial resources remain intact across the life course even under conditions of collective trauma. The significant age gap in life satisfaction, however, points to the differential material and economic vulnerability of older survivors for the targeting of post-disaster public health interventions in earthquake-affected Malatya and comparable settings. Clinical Trial: Not applicable