Voice of the Indirect Victims: Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of Terrorism on Turkish Young Adults

The experiences of young adults vicariously exposed to the terrorist attacks in Turkey were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who were recruited by word-of-mouth. The analysis revealed three superordinate themes: (a) the recollections of terrorist attacks, (b) psychological impacts, and (c) ways of coping. The first of these themes represented the specific characteristics of terrorist attacks that affected the participants more adversely than any other negative life event. The latter two themes reflected the psychological impacts of the terrorist attacks and how the participants coped with these psychological outcomes. The results showed that the psychological repercussions of terrorist attacks for indirect victims were similar to those reported for direct victims. Although adverse impacts were reported, some psychological growth outcomes were also revealed. These results are discussed with their meanings and implications for the youth