Family stress and resilience to earthquake-related economic hardship in Turkish families with preschool children.

Abstract

Life-threatening earthquakes can lead to immediate and prolonged economic hardship that challenges the lives of the survivors. We know little about (a) how these economic risks impact families with preschool children, that is, the health of parents, the behavior of their children, and their relationships, and (b) the necessary family resources that support them. We utilized the Family Stress Model and multisystemic resilience theory to examine the effects of economic hardship on families with preschoolers who recently experienced an earthquake, focusing on ways to enhance their resilience. This study used an exploratory, data-driven statistical approach to analyze cross-sectional data from 377 families (children's age range = 4-6) that experienced the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Türkiye in February 2024. Economic risk showed a direct relationship with problematic child behavior, which was associated with parental depression and the child-parent relationship, which provides additional perspectives on the Family Stress Model. Higher levels of economic hardship were associated with significantly lower levels of most family resources, with meaning making following adversity acting as a mediator for these effects. A combination of family communication, problem solving, and social and economic resources was identified as important for all family members, while lower levels of family spirituality were additionally important for children's resilience. Because most family resources were directly associated with parental depression, interventions should prioritize supporting parents so they can, in turn, better care for their young children. Future research utilizing the Family Stress Model should examine potential bidirectional effects between parental health and child behavior, particularly in disaster contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).