Effectiveness of an online-delivered, ultra-brief group psychoeducation intervention for earthquake-related trauma symptom severity and posttraumatic cognitions

Abstract Natural disasters such as earthquakes are among the most disruptive and traumatic events, often resulting in substantial psychological distress. This study employed a two-phase design to examine the psychological impact of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Türkiye and to evaluate an ultra-brief online psychoeducation program developed in response to it. In the first phase, a cross-sectional survey was administered to 161 adults, 96 of whom resided in the affected cities, to assess trauma-related distress (IES-R), trauma-related cognitions (PTCI), and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21). In the second phase, a subgroup of participants volunteered for a four-session online group psychoeducation program, and 10 individuals completed the full intervention and posttest assessment. Participants directly exposed to the earthquake reported higher distress than those not exposed. Regression analyses indicated that anxiety, financial loss, and bereavement were significant predictors of distress. Among psychoeducation participants, significant reductions were observed in traumatic stress and depressive symptoms, whereas anxiety symptoms did not show a significant decrease. These findings suggest that ultra-brief, online-delivered psychoeducation may offer rapid and cost-effective support for disaster survivors. However, the small intervention sample and high attrition highlight the need for larger-scale evaluations and additional interventions to address persistent symptoms. The study demonstrates the value of timely and accessible psychoeducational strategies following disasters and offers preliminary evidence for scalable online support models.