Phantom earthquake sensations: a cross-sectional analysis of context, perceptual ambiguity, and cognitive intrusion
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, cilt.14, ss.1-11, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 14
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1848434
- Dergi Adı: FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-11
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objective:
Phantom earthquake sensations (PES) are poorly understood. This study investigated relationships between phantom perception, spatial context, earthquake-related anxiety (EAS), and post-traumatic stress (IES-R) following a non-destructive earthquake.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 157 participants (81 female, 76 male) who experienced the Mw 6.2 Istanbul earthquake. Data were collected within 4 weeks via surveys assessing phantom sensations, EAS, and IES-R. Non-parametric tests, Chi-square, and Spearman rank correlations were used.
Results:
Context was a significant modulator. Participants at home reported higher EAS (p = 0.037) and IES-R (p = 0.033) scores, plus more frequent (p = 0.044) and prolonged (p = 0.049) phantom sensations. Counter-intuitively, participants perceiving the tremor as “very mild” reported the highest anxiety (Mean = 47), significantly exceeding the “moderate” group (p = 0.012), whereas no significant difference was observed with the “severe” group (p = 0.609). EAS correlated weakly with total IES-R (ρ = 0.283, p = 0.033) and moderately with the “intrusion” subscale (ρ = 0.375, p = 0.004).
Conclusion:
PES is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon shaped by spatial context (home/solitude) and perceptual ambiguity, rather than by seismic intensity alone. The link to anxiety appears driven by cognitive re-experiencing (intrusion) over generalized fear. Findings support a clinical triad of vestibular rehabilitation, anxiety management, and trigger control.