Reflections on obtaining probabilistic judgments from experts for use in risk and other policy analysis

The objective of this study is to assess the level of trauma and earthquake stress of university students who exercise and those who do not. The study utilized the descriptive survey research method. The sample comprised 378 male and 300 female students who experienced the socially detrimental 7.7 Mw and 7.6 Mw earthquakes in Türkiye on February 6, 2023. The data were both face-to-face and via computer-administered questionnaire with the tools of “Post-Earthquake Trauma Level Scale” and “Earthquake Stress Coping Strategies Scale.” After checking for normality, the parametric tests were used, the t-test to compare two groups of data, and ANOVA for three or more groups of data. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analyses were performed to compare the interactions between students who exercise and those who do not.

The study found that gender affected trauma levels, with female students (X = 73.483) exhibiting significantly higher trauma levels than male students (X = 68.799) (p < 0.001). Students who engaged in regular physical activity (X = 67.71) were found to have lower trauma levels compared to those who did not exercise (X = 71.97). Participants who feared being caught by the earthquake at home or school (X = 73.32), experienced the loss of someone close (X = 88.10) or believed that adequate precautions against the earthquake had not been taken (X = 71.73) had higher trauma scores. According to the results of the ANOVA test, students from the Departments of Sports Sciences (X = 69.78) and Religious Studies (X = 69.63) were observed to have lower trauma levels. Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive and moderate relationship between trauma levels and earthquake stress coping strategies among students who engaged in regular physical activity (r = .176, p < 0.01).