Research Information System
25th International Congress on Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Ankara, Turkey, 16 - 19 May 2024, pp.137-138, (Summary Text)
Its effects such as facilitating access to information and connections have led to the intensive
and active use of social media during crisis situations. However, this can also lead to users
accessing content that may cause secondary traumatic stress depending on their media
exposure. The public’s active use of social media tools during the recent earthquakes centered
in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, may have caused to a similar effect. In line with this aim, the effects
of cognitive flexibility, general self-efficacy, hope, and psychological resilience, which are
frequently associated with traumatic stress in the literature, were tested using a parallel-serial
mediation model. The sample of the study consists of 429 adult social media users residing in
Turkey, including 300 females and 129 males. In order to collect data, the Dispositional Hope
Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, Brief Resilience Scale, and
Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale for Social Media Users were applied to the participants along
with a demographic information form prepared by the researchers. SPSS and the PROCESS
macro were used to test the proposed model. The results of the study indicate that the model
explains 20% of the total variance in secondary traumatic stress related to social media
exposure. Upon examining the findings, it is observed that in the first stage, general selfefficacy and hope together, and in the second stage, psychological resilience, mediate the
relationship between cognitive flexibility and secondary traumatic stress. In other words,
individuals with higher levels of cognitive flexibility possess greater levels of hope and general
self-efficacy. These characteristics contribute to an increase in their levels of psychological
resilience, consequently leading these individuals to exhibit fewer symptoms of secondary
traumatic stress. Additionally, cognitive flexibility and psychological resilience appear to be
associated with all variables. Therefore, it is believed that all variables examined in our study
could be significant protective factors against the potential emergence of secondary traumatic
stress associated with social media exposure. Considering these factors in the planning of
psychological and preventive interventions can contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of
interventions. The results were discussed in light of the current literature, and limitations of the
present study as well as suggestions for future similar studies were provided.